CT Man Gets 27-Year Sentence For 2019 Murder In Federal Hill

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Connecticut man was sentenced Monday to 27 years in prison after pleading to murder in a 2019 stabbing death on Federal Hill in Providence.

On Thursday, Jaquontee Reels Felder, 28, of Ledyard, Connecticut, pleaded nolo contendere to second-degree murder. Following Felder's prison sentence, he will be on probation for 40 years.

Had the case gone to trial, state prosecutors said they were prepared to prove that on June 30, 2019, Felder stabbed and killed Stephen Cabral, 28, in a Walgreens parking lot on Atwells Avenue in Providence.

Before 2 a.m., Cabral left Club Seven, a nearby nightclub, before arguing with the Felder and several others.

Felder left the area but then returned several minutes later. Security footage from nearby businesses showed eight men, including Felder, running across the parking lot and attacking the victim. While the other men punched and kicked Cabral, Felder stabbed the victim in the chest.

Rescue officials rushed Cabral to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where he was pronounced dead.

Using surveillance footage, investigators identified all eight assailants, and now all eight have been convicted for their roles in the attack.