Life prison term imposed in a decade-old Providence murder

The Rhode Island Superior & Supreme Court building in Providence. File photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

WPRO News  

A double life sentence is imposed on a Providence man convicted of a murder more than a decade ago.  

A jury convicted Leron Porter of murder and weapons charges in the 2011 shooting death of Tiphany Tallo, 17 in 2011 following a violent fight involving family members of both Porter and Tallo.  

it was the second trial for Porter, now 42. His initial murder conviction in 2014 was vacated on appeal to a federal court. His retrial ended in a conviction in September.  

 Judge Robert Krause sentenced him to consecutive life terms for second-degree murder and discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in death, and another consecutive 35-year sentence as a habitual criminal.   

“Tiphany Tallo meant everything to her family, friends and community, said Attorney General Peter Neronha in a statement.  

“Just 17 years old when she was senselessly murdered by this defendant, she had her whole life ahead of her. In some ways, it is unfathomable how a petty dispute could lead to a melee that ends with a child being shot in the chest. Yet given the widespread availability of guns and the belief among many that solutions to problems can be found with such weapons, perhaps it is not,” Neronha said.