Jocelyn DoCouto, a 33-year-old Hispanic woman from Central Falls, Rhode Island, was a devoted mother of two and a celebrated entrepreneur. She owned JaeSlayed Studio, a popular hair braiding salon in Pawtucket, and was known as a "powerhouse" in her community. A passionate advocate for small business owners, she founded the Rhode Island Freedom Braiders group and successfully pushed for legislation that deregulated the profession in 2019, opening doors for many others.
Friends described her as an "ambassador to Black culture, Black hair, Black excellence" who also mentored at-risk youth.
On the evening of January 19, 2024, Jocelyn’s life was cut short. Shortly after 8 p.m., as she was believed to be leaving her salon for the day, she was shot multiple times on the sidewalk at the corner of Central and Kenyon Avenues. When police responded to reports of gunfire, they found her on the ground and pronounced her dead at the scene. Investigators located at least four bullet casings, and witnesses reported seeing a grey SUV fleeing the area. In the hours before her death, Jocelyn had made posts on social media that seemed to allude to a man's inability to regulate his emotions.
The investigation quickly pointed toward a domestic violence homicide. Authorities arrested Jocelyn’s ex-boyfriend, Michael J. Fernandes, a 34-year-old Pawtucket resident. The couple had recently separated, and Jocelyn had obtained a no-contact order against him. Just weeks before the shooting, Fernandes had been arrested for attempting to break into her home.
Fernandes was charged with first-degree murder, discharge of a firearm resulting in death, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large capacity feeding device, and violating the domestic no-contact order. At his initial court appearances, he pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail while awaiting trial.
In June 2026, the case concluded when Michael Fernandes, then 36, entered into a plea agreement. He was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge, plus an additional 40 years on the remaining counts. The Rhode Island Attorney General stated that just as Jocelyn was beginning to build a new life, her ex-boyfriend "brutally took her life in a senseless act of rage." A friend and business partner, speaking in court, said she relives the tragedy every day she walks into the salon they built together, feeling the emptiness her absence left behind.
