Guilty Verdict In 2010 RI Cold Case Killing

PROVIDENCE, RI — A former resident of Massachusetts was found guilty of stabbing another man to death outside a Providence bar 15 years ago.

Jason Lopes, 38, was convicted of manslaughter Thursday following a 10-day trial, according to a media release from the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office.

Lopes stabbed 22-year-old Zackary Marshall to death outside a Peck Street bar in December 2010, the release said.

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Lopes and Marshall were "separately leaving nearby restaurants with friends when (Lopes) got into an altercation" with Marshall, the release said.

"During the altercation, (Lopes) stabbed (Marshall) before fleeing the scene with his group," according to the release.

Marshall suffered stab wounds to his chest and torso, the release said. He was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital.

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"During the investigation immediately following the incident, no witnesses were able to identify the (the stabber) or the individuals with whom he left, and the case went cold," the release said.

"Then in 2020, a friend of (Lopes) was arrested on separate charges and stated that on the night of Zackary’s murder, (Lopes) called him and asked for a ride from downtown Providence at approximately 3 a.m.," according to the release. "During the car ride, the (Lopes) admitted to this friend that he had been in a fight and stabbed someone, and told him the names of three individuals he was with at the time of the stabbing."

Two of the individuals testified before a grand jury and identified Lopes as the stabber, according to the release, and he was indicted in March 2021.

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Lopes was then arrested in Texas and admitted to stabbing Marshall, the release said.

“Petty arguments should never end in tragedy, yet that’s exactly what happened here,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said in the release.

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“Because of the actions of this defendant, who evaded accountability for too long, Zack’s family will forever bear the heartbreak of his loss," Neronha said. "I hope this verdict finally provides them with some semblance of peace, which they have long deserved."

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