On the evening of October 12, 2021, Melvin Ricardo Perez Reyes, a 38-year-old Hispanic man, was going about the mundane task of doing his laundry at the Laundromax on Broad Street in Providence, Rhode Island. A hardworking father of three, he was focused on his chore, unaware that he was being watched. His life was about to be tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence.
A man named Johan Quinones, then 24 years old, had been observing Perez Reyes from a vehicle outside the
laundromat, his attention drawn to a large gold chain around Perez Reyes's neck. Quinones entered the establishment, approached Perez Reyes from behind, and pressed a firearm into his back, demanding the jewelry. A brief struggle ensued as Perez Reyes attempted to defend himself and grab the gun. In that moment, Quinones fired a single shot into his chest. Perez Reyes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal.
Investigators used surveillance footage from the laundromat to identify Quinones as the shooter. A manhunt ensued, and approximately two weeks later, on October 26, 2021, he was apprehended in Jersey City, New Jersey. Quinones was extradited back to Rhode Island to face justice for his crime. It was later revealed that at the time of the murder, Quinones was already facing separate felony gun charges from 2020 and had been released on bail.
On November 10, 2023, Johan Quinones entered a plea of nolo contendere, or no contest, to charges of murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license. For taking the life of a man for a piece of jewelry, he was sentenced to life in prison, with an additional 10-year consecutive term. The sentencing brought a measure of closure to the family of Melvin Ricardo Perez Reyes, whose dreams of building a home for his family were violently extinguished in a Providence laundromat.
