Providence Man Guilty Of Murder In Pawtucket Shooting Death

A jury found him guilty following a month-long trial, according to the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office.

By Joseph Hosey, Patch Staff

Oct 7, 2026 11:18 AM EDT

PAWTUCKET, RI — A Providence man was found guilty of gunning down a man in Pawtucket.

A jury found Karel Martinez-Scarlet, 31, guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence and carrying a pistol without a license, the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office said in a media release.

The verdict was handed down after a month-long trial, the release said.

Martinez-Scarlet murdered 29-year-old Keshaudas Spence, according to the release.

In June 2021, "Pawtucket Police responded to Winthrop Avenue and located (Spence) in the passenger seat of a black Acura suffering from a gunshot wound to the head," the release said. "Emergency personnel transported the victim to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased."

Police "determined that a group of men, including both" Spence and Martinez-Scarlet, showed up at an apartment complex about 2 a.m. "after visiting multiple locations in Providence," according to the release.

"Surveillance footage from the apartment complex later shows (Martinez-Scarlet) shooting in the direction of the black Acura where investigators found (Spence) shortly thereafter, the release said, and the footage showed Martinez-Scarlet getting in another car and taking off.

Martinez-Scarlet was arrested about two months later, according to the release.

"Following his arrest, (Martinez-Scarlet) admitted that he had discharged a firearm on the scene of the shooting," the release said.