Men to serve double life sentences for murder of Revere teen in R.I.
Both men were found guilty by a jury in March on numerous charges, including first-degree murder, for the death of Berta Pereira-Roldan. Veng and Brown also injured Crystal Peloquin, the jury found.
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'Berta was an innocent bystander who was torn from her family with this senseless act of violence,' Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. 'She was out with her friends to celebrate her nineteenth birthday, and she had her whole life ahead of her. While nothing can bring her back to her loved ones, I hope these double life sentences bring her family a sense of peace knowing that justice has been served.'
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According to prosecutors, Providence police responded to Detroit Avenue for a report of shots fired in the early hours of Sept. 29, 2019.
There, they found the teen with multiple gunshot wounds, officials said. Pereira-Roldan, who had driven to Providence to celebrate her birthday with friends, was pronounced dead at the scene.
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First responders also found Peloquin with multiple gunshot wounds, and brought her to Rhode Island Hospital in serious condition, officials said.
'The two victims did not know each other and both left a nearby nightclub just before the shooting,' prosecutors said.
Witness testimony and video surveillance footage showed Veng and Brown had circled the area in a vehicle at least three times just before the shooting, and then sped away after the shots were fired, according to prosecutors. Police discovered 16 spent shell casings at the scene.
Then, on Oct. 17, 2019, police responded to a home on Mitchell Street after someone reported finding two firearms in her backyard.
'Video surveillance from the neighborhood on the night of the shooting showed one of the three vehicles identified in the Detroit Avenue footage, a Dodge Durango, pull up to the Mitchell Street residence two minutes after the shooting took place,' officials said. 'The video shows two people getting out of the Durango and leaving the two firearms in the yard where the tenant found them.'
Investigators were able to identify and seize the vehicle based on its license plate.
'While executing a search warrant on the vehicle, investigators found DNA and a fingerprint matching Johnny Veng. Cellular data placed Veng in the area of Detroit Avenue at the time of the murder,' prosecutors said.
'The State Crime Lab's analysis of the firearms found on Mitchell Street confirmed that they match the shell casings found at the murder scene,' prosecutors added. 'Further analysis revealed DNA matching Marklyn Brown on the Glock pistol and magazine.'
According to officials, Veng's sentence will 'run consecutive to the nine year sentence he is currently serving for a separate gun case.'
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Shortly after Pereira-Roldan's death in 2019, Jaime Carrillo, her uncle,
'She didn't go out much but she had a lot of friends that she loved,' he said.
Material from a previous Globe story was used in this report.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
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