On a spring day in Providence, Rhode Island, the life of 31-year-old Joshua Costa was tragically cut short. On April 16, 2021, at an auto repair shop located at 405 Harris Avenue, a dispute escalated into fatal violence. Inside the garage, Joshua Costa, a Hispanic male from Lincoln, was involved in an altercation that resulted in an exchange of gunfire.
The shooting proved to be fatal for Costa, marking the city's fifth homicide of that year.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect. The Providence police issued an arrest warrant for 41-year-old Phillip Manners, who was also known as Phillip Manners Rojas. Authorities stated that both men were armed and had met inside the auto repair business, where neither was an employee, before the deadly shots were fired. The motive appeared to be a dispute that had originated the previous day.
Following a thorough investigation, Phillip Manners was apprehended and brought to trial. In November 2023, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, among other charges related to the shooting. The court proceedings revealed that the confrontation was over a bag, allegedly containing narcotics, that Costa had taken from Manners. In response, Manners chased Costa into the garage's office and fired several shots, killing him. In March 2024, Phillip Manners was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of Joshua Costa.
