Central Falls deadly shooting suspect appears in court

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

Twitter: @RTurcoABC6

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Central Falls man at the center of a deadly shooting investigation faced a judge Monday.

Mael Vasquez’s court appearance comes one day after he admitted to police that he shot a man, claiming he acted in self-defense.

Police found the 20 year-old sitting on his King Street porch around 1:30 Sunday morning. He told officers he shot an intruder who had hit him with a blunt object, covered by a sock. That man, Maurice Botelho, 43, was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Vasquez told police he had been smoking pot in the basement before he heard the footsteps coming down the stairs. He shot Botelho with a stolen gun.

ABC6 News Legal Analyst Ken Schreiber weighed in: “A lot of red flags in this case,” he said.

Vasquez lives on the third floor of the multi-family home, but he shot Botelho in a common area in the basement, so that could be a legal gray area.

At this time, Vasquez is only being charged with possession of a stolen firearm. He did not enter a plea in court Monday. Additional charges may be forthcoming – the case is being presented to the grand jury.

"His credibility will ultimately determine whether or not he’s going to be indicted," said Schreiber.

Vasquez was released on $20,000 surety bail. He is due back in court on July 24 for a pre-arraignment hearing.

© WLNE-TV 2017