On the evening of July 30, 2012, a 21-year-old Black/African American woman named Shemeeka Barrows was tragically killed in Providence, Rhode Island. She was an unintended victim in a robbery that escalated into a triple homicide. That night, four individuals, Timothy DeBritto, Russell Burrell, Quandell Husband, and Donovann Hall, planned to rob Michael Martin at his apartment, believing he had marijuana and money.
Armed with a 9mm Glock, Burrell, Husband, and Hall proceeded to Martin's
apartment around 10:00 p.m. When Martin opened the door, the three men forced their way inside. They were surprised to find another man, Damien Colon, also in the apartment. Burrell herded both Martin and Colon towards the kitchen and opened fire, killing them both.
During the commotion, Shemeeka Barrows, who had been asleep on a couch in the living room, awoke. Upon seeing her, Russell Burrell turned the gun on her and emptied the remaining bullets from the magazine, fatally wounding her. The brutal act was described by the Attorney General as the work of a "cold-blooded, calculating killer."
The investigation led by the Providence Police resulted in the arrest of all four men involved. Russell Burrell, who was a juvenile at the time of the murders, was tried as an adult and pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and other charges. He was sentenced to six life sentences plus ten years. His accomplices also faced justice for their roles in the crime. Quandell Husband was found guilty by a jury and received consecutive life sentences plus 10 years. Timothy DeBritto pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years to serve, with an additional 20 years suspended. Donovann Hall also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three concurrent life sentences.
