Central Falls Killer Gets 2 Life Sentences

PAWTUCKET, RI — A Central Falls man was sentenced to life in prison for the Halloween killing of another man in 2020, according to the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office.

Jairo Esdel Galva, 26, had been found guilty of second-degree murder, discharging a firearm when committing a crime of violence resulting in death, committing a drive-by shooting, and carrying a firearm without a license following a 17-day trial in March, the attorney general's office said in a media release.

On Thursday, Galva was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, the release said.

Galva shot and killed, Joel Rosario, a man with whom he had a "contentious history," the release said.

Police responding to a call of shots fired on Londsdale Avenue in Pawtucket on Oct. 31, 2020, found Rosario had been shot in the chest, according to the release.

Rosario was taken to Miriam Hospital in Providence, where he died, the release said.

Witnesses testified that Galva's "Jeep Cherokee had followed a Toyota Corolla, where Joel was the front seat passenger," according to the release.

"When the Corolla stopped at a traffic light on Lonsdale Avenue, Joel exited the vehicle and began arguing with (Galva), who was seated in his Jeep," the release said. "During the argument, (Galva) fired a single shot through the open passenger window of his vehicle, striking the (Rosario) in the chest, before quickly fleeing the scene in his vehicle."

The Pawtucket police arrested Galva in November 2020, according to the release.

"This case is yet another example of the tragedies that ensue when guns fall into the hands of those ready and willing to use them," Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said in the release. "I hope that this life sentence provides some sense of closure for Joel’s family and friends."