Providence man sentenced after Jorge Garcia, 38, was shot while eating breakfast at restaurant – Fall River Reporter

Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Friday that a Providence man has been convicted in Providence County Superior Court of the 2021 murder of Jorge Garcia, 38, at Roque's Café in Providence.

At a hearing this week before Superior Court Judge Kristin E. Rodgers, the court sentenced Juan Rivera, 37, to consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder and discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime resulting in death. In addition, Judge Rodgers considered the defendant a habitual offender and imposed an additional 10 years in prison, the first five years of which are not eligible for parole.

On March 15, 2024, after a 14-day trial, the jury found the defendant guilty of one count of murder; one count of conspiracy to commit murder; one count of discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent crime resulting in death; one count of carrying a pistol without a license; one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.

“Frequent gun violence can desensitize us to the heartbreaking stories of loss and trauma caused by firearms,” he said. Attorney General Neronha. “We must remain committed to preventing further tragedies, protecting our communities, and holding perpetrators of such violence accountable. I only hope that this conviction brings some measure of peace to the victim’s family. And I thank the Providence Police Department for their partnership in this case and so many others.”

During the trial, the State proved that on the morning of September 25, 2021, at approximately 8:56 a.m., a masked person wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with distinctive white lettering entered the Roque Cafe and shot the victim six times, killing him.

In the days that followed, investigators obtained surveillance footage from the restaurant and surrounding area. They also seized surveillance footage from Wiggin Village, Jones Moving Company, Pearl Street Lofts and several other nearby establishments, through which they were able to reconstruct the suspect's movements before and after the shooting.

Through the footage, investigators identified two vehicles involved in the shooting: a maroon Toyota Corolla and a black Dodge Ram. As seen in the video, the two vehicles met up before the shooting, at which point the Ram driver exited the truck and got into the Corolla. The Corolla is then seen in Wiggin Village, where the driver parked the vehicle and the two individuals exited and ran toward Roque's Café minutes before the shooting. Surveillance also captured the suspect running back toward Wiggin Village after the shooting, getting back into the Corolla and driving away.

Additionally, investigators conducted a forensic analysis of the defendant's cell phone on September 25, 2021, and tracked the defendant's location from his residence to Broad Street, where Roque's Restaurant is located, at the time of the murder.

Eventually, investigators obtained a photo of the defendant taken before the murder in which he is wearing the same distinct sweatshirt and sneakers captured by surveillance cameras.

“Senseless violence and tragedies like this reverberate throughout our communities, and those who commit these acts must continue to be removed from our streets to better prevent them from happening,” said Providence Police Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. “While no justice can erase the pain caused to this victim's family, I hope this conviction provides some measure of comfort. I commend the outstanding work done by our agents and investigators, as well as our partners in the Attorney General's Office.”

Assistant Attorney General Robert E. Johnson of the Attorney General's Office and Detective Sergeant Terence Greene and Detectives Michael Otrando (Ret.), Matthew Nadeau, Edward Regine and Theodore Michael (Ret.) of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of this case.