On the evening of April 1, 2015, 21-year-old Briana Giorgio of Cranston, Rhode Island, was fatally shot while sitting in her car on Sterling Avenue in Providence. The incident occurred at approximately 8:00 p.m. during what was described by authorities as an arranged drug deal. Giorgio was waiting in her vehicle when a man approached and shot her through the open driver's side door. The bullet struck her in the chest, piercing her heart and causing her death. She was pronounced dead at Rhode Island Hospital.
Following the shooting, Providence Police launched an investigation that quickly led them to a suspect. By tracing cell phone calls made to Briana's phone just before the murder, investigators were able to identify 22-year-old Derell Johnson as the individual she was scheduled to meet. Upon being located and interviewed by police, Johnson confessed to both shooting Briana and robbing her of a quantity of marijuana.
Derell Johnson was arrested and charged with the murder of Briana Giorgio, which marked the city of Providence's second homicide of the year. In September 2015, Johnson pleaded nolo contendere, or no contest, to charges of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Under the terms of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years to be served consecutively. At the time of the murder, Johnson was on probation for a previous offense.
