Rhode Island man sentenced to prison after murdering 33-year-old ex-girlfriend outside of her business

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter Neronha announced today that a Rhode Island man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court for the 2024 murder of 33-year-old mother Jocelyn DoCouto outside of the JaeSlayed/Beatbymaggz Hair Salon she owned and operated on 440 Central Avenue in Pawtucket.

On Friday, at a hearing before Superior Court Justice Robert Krause, 36-year-old Michael Fernandes of Pawtucket pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder, one count of felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of possession of a firearm without a license, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Judge Krause sentenced the defendant to life at the Adult Correctional Institutions for murder and a consecutive 40 years to serve on the remaining counts. 

“Perpetrators of domestic violence seek to exert control over their victims, and will go to extreme measures to maintain it, as was the case here,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Jocelyn was a hardworking entrepreneur and a mother of two young children. And unfortunately, just as Jocelyn was beginning to build a new life without the defendant, he brutally took her life in a senseless act of rage. While nothing can bring Jocelyn back, I hope this life sentence brings some measure of peace to her loved ones.”

Had the case proceeded to a trial, the State was prepared to prove that Fernandes shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Jocelyn DoCouto.

On Friday, January 19, 2024, an HVAC technician working on the roof of the American Wire Residential Lofts in Pawtucket heard the sound of gunfire and screaming. From the ledge of the roof, the technician saw a man standing over a woman’s body outside of a salon across the street. The technician immediately took photos of a gray SUV with a white license plate near the scene of the crime and called the police. When Pawtucket Police arrived, they attempted to administer aid to DoCouto, but she was pronounced deceased by emergency personnel shortly thereafter.

At the scene, detectives spoke to a second witness who described the same gray SUV fleeing the area after hearing gunfire from inside his residence. Additionally, detectives obtained nearby video surveillance of a gray SUV in front of the salon at the time of the murder. After canvassing the area for the vehicle, detectives located Fernandes sleeping in a gray 2023 Chevy Suburban with California license plates and took him into custody.

In the following days, detectives reviewed text messages sent on January 1, 2024, between Jocelyn and another party in which Jocelyn said Fernandes threatened her life after finding out she was dating another man. Additionally, the United States Secret Service conducted cell site location analysis on Fernandes’ cell phone and determined that his device was in the area at the time of the murder. Finally, the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory tested a sweatshirt worn by the defendant and found the presence of primer gunshot residue.

Fernandes was arrested in early January 2024 for attempting to break into Jocelyn’s home. She had a No Contact Order against him at the time of her murder.

“The Pawtucket Police Department works tirelessly to keep our communities safe and to seek justice when tragedies like this occur,” said Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves. “I am thankful for the hard work of our detectives, as well as the Attorney General’s Office, throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case. Jocelyn deserved much better, and I’m grateful that justice was served.”

Special Assistant Attorneys General Taylor Matook and Edward Mullaney of the Office of the Attorney General and Detectives Ethan Barrett and Gregory Martin of the Pawtucket Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.