Central Falls man found guilty in retrial of 2020 murder

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha said that a Central Falls man had been found guilty for the murder of 22-year-old Joel Rosario in 2020.

26-year-old Jairo Esdel Galva was found guilty of second-degree murder, discharging a firearm when committing a crime of violence resulting in death, committing a drive-by shooting, and carrying a firearm without a license.

Esdel Galva was originally found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in a trial in 2021, but a new trial was ordered by the Rhode Island Supreme Court on appeal after it determined the trial justice did not notify the jury of the possibility of a voluntary manslaughter charge instead of murder.

Police said Galva shot and killed the 22-year-old on Halloween of 2020 after the encounter at the intersection of Lonsdale and Mineral Spring avenues in Pawtucket.

Neronha said the suspect drove closely behind the group  and that Esdel Galva flashed his vehicle’s high beam lights several times.

When they reached the intersection in Pawtucket Rosario got out of a car and confronted Esdel Galva, which resulted in Rosario being shot and killed.

Pawtucket Police then arrested the defendant on Nov. 4, 2020.

Esdel Galva is being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 21.