Habitual offender, probation violator sentenced in murder outside Rhode Island strip club

Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that a Providence man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to the Adult Correctional Institutions for the 2022 murder of Angelo Gomez.

At a hearing on July 30, 2024, Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced 38-year-old Robert Komhlan to serve two consecutive life sentences, followed by an additional 25 years to serve, at the ACI.

On April 5, 2024, following the conclusion of an eight-day trial, a jury found Komhlan guilty of first-degree murder, discharging a firearm while in the commission of a crime of violence with death resulting, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a firearm by a person prohibited based on a prior conviction for a crime of violence. Komhlan was also deemed a habitual offender and a probation violator on a prior gun conviction, leading to an additional 10 years to serve on the violation.

During the trial, the State proved that on April 1, 2022, the defendant shot and killed Angelo Gomez outside of Wonderland Gentleman’s Club in Providence.

That evening, Komhlan attended Wonderland Gentleman’s Club on Allens Avenue. Surveillance cameras captured Komhlan as he exited the club and got into a dark SUV. Continuous surveillance footage across eight exterior cameras showed the SUV driving one block south before turning around and driving back toward the club. As the dark SUV returned to the club, several of Komhlan’s friends approached Angelo Gomez. To distance himself, Gomez began to retreat from them with his back toward the road. As Gomez backed up, Komhlan shot Gomez three times before fleeing in the SUV. 

Providence Police extracted video surveillance and several officers identified Komhlan as he exited the club. Subsequently, detectives tried to locate him to make an arrest, but he deactivated his cell phone and fled the jurisdiction. With coordination with the United States Marshalls, law enforcement ultimately apprehended Komhlan in Atlanta, Georgia on June 17, 2022, and he was extradited back to Rhode Island. 

Special Assistant Attorneys General Meagan L. Thomson and Edward G. Mullaney of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Alicia Hersperger and Sergeant Jonathan Primiano of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.