Jury convicts former North Attleboro man of manslaughter in 2010 Providence cold case
Published on Friday, November 21, 2025
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a former North Attleboro man has been found guilty in Providence County Superior Court of manslaughter in the death of 22-year-old Zackary Marshall in 2010.
On November 20, 2025, following the conclusion of a 10-day trial before Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough, a jury found Jason Lopes (age 38) guilty of one count of manslaughter.
“Petty arguments should never end in tragedy, yet that’s exactly what happened here,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Because of the actions of this defendant, who evaded accountability for too long, Zack’s family will forever bear the heartbreak of his loss. I hope this verdict finally provides them with some semblance of peace, which they have long deserved. I’m grateful to the Providence Police Department and my prosecutors for their exceptional work on this difficult case.”
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that in the early hours of December 18, 2010, the defendant stabbed Zackary Marshall to death during an altercation outside of a bar on Peck Street in Providence.
That morning at approximately 2:07 a.m., Providence Police responded to a report of a disturbance at the intersection of Friendship Street and Peck Street in Providence. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Zackary Marshall on the sidewalk, suffering from four stab wounds to his chest and torso. Rescue personnel transported him to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Earlier that night, both the defendant and the victim were separately leaving nearby restaurants with friends when the defendant got into an altercation with the victim. During the altercation, the defendant stabbed the victim before fleeing the scene with his group.
During the investigation immediately following the incident, no witnesses were able to identify the defendant or the individuals with whom he left, and the case went cold. Then in 2020, a friend of the defendant was arrested on separate charges and stated that on the night of Zackary’s murder, the defendant called him and asked for a ride from downtown Providence at approximately 3 a.m. During the car ride, the defendant admitted to this friend that he had been in a fight and stabbed someone, and told him the names of three individuals he was with at the time of the stabbing. Based on that information, investigators identified and interviewed each of the three individuals, and two of the individuals testified before a Grand Jury that the defendant was responsible for the stabbing.
On March 12, 2021, following a Grand Jury indictment, police arrested the defendant in Texas. During an interview at the time of his arrest, the defendant admitted to stabbing the victim during the altercation.
“Violence has no place in our community, and I’m grateful that this case is finally resolved,” said Providence Police Colonel Oscar L. Perez Jr. “The men and women of the Providence Police Department work tirelessly to ensure the safety of our community members, and hold accountable those responsible for tragedies such as this one. I commend the work of our officers and our partners in the Attorney General’s Office for their investigation and prosecution of this case.”
Assistant Attorney General Timothy Healy of the Attorney General’s Office and Detectives Angelo A’Vant and Sean Brown of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
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