Man Arrested in Newport Thursday Charged with Murder in Fall River

A 24-year-old Fall River, Mass. man wanted in connection with a New Year’s Eve murder in that city was arrested by Newport Police on Thursday morning after detectives used GPS pings from his cell phone to track him down.

Jeffrey Souza is now facing an upgraded charge of murder for allegedly killing Kyle Brady, 28, over an ongoing dispute over a woman, according to police.

Police allege that Brady was shot at the intersection of Albert and Huard Streets in Fall River early on New Year’s Day.

Souza then reportedly fled that city and ended up in Newport and was riding as a passenger in a car driven by his mother when it was stopped on Ocean Avenue by Newport police.

Detectives were able to detect pings from Souza’s cell phone around Ocean Drive at around 10:37 a.m., according to a police report, and officers were on the lookout for a silver Toyota Scion belonging to his mother under the assumption that she would be coming to the area to pick him up

An officer soon spotted the car on Carroll Avenue at 11:14 a.m. and began following it with sirens off as backup officers mobilized to assist. Souza reportedly could be seen in the passenger seat and he looked back at the following officer repeatedly before another officer arrived and the car was finally stopped near 225 Ocean Avenue.

Souza was ordered out of the car at gunpoint and was taken into custody without incident.

Newport detectives seized the clothes Souza was wearing and collected a variety of evidence, including fingernail scrapings and swabs of dried blood on his hands and neck.

Souza reportedly had bruising around his eye and a small cut to the left side of his face and left hand.

Souza initially faced weapons charges and was transferred to Fall River Police on Friday after a court hearing in Newport where he waived his right to extradition to Massachusetts.

He has been ordered held without bail.

Friends of Brady held a candlelight vigil to honor his life on Jan. 3.

Images via WPRI.