PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man charged with fatally shooting another man during a robbery at a Providence laundromat in October has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail, according to court records.
Johan Quinones, 22, was arraigned Tuesday on first-degree murder and firearms charges, according to a statement Thursday from the attorney general’s office.
Authorities allege Quinones killed Melvin Ricardo Perez Reyes, 38, inside the laundromat on Oct. 12.
He was apprehended in Jersey City, New Jersey on Oct. 26. He was extradited to Rhode Island, where a secret indictment was unsealed on Dec. 10, the attorney general’s office said.
No defense attorney was listed in court records and he was referred to the public defender’s office.
Police have said they do not think the victim and suspect knew each other and the suspect intended to rob Perez Reyes. Police previously said the robber put a gun to the back of the victim and demanded the jewelry he had around his neck. The two struggled and the gun went off.
