Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced Angel "Yung Cyph" Valerio (age 20), with a last known address of 32 Sackett Street, Providence, to 15 years, with 12 years to serve and the remainder suspended with probation for his role in the June 15, 2013 shooting in Providence that killed 12-year old Aynis Vargas and injured Vilma Tineo, Elaine Devargas, and Eugelyn Cabrera-Martinez.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, which was reached with the approval of the victims, Valerio pled guilty earlier this year to three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon.
On the evening of June 15, 2013, Valerio and co-defendants Luis "Didi" Gonzalez, Branden "Blaze" Castro, Luis "Fat Boy" Gonzalez, and Ricardo Vasquez, all members of the Harriet Street gang, or H-Block, drove together to the Hartford Park area of Providence looking to retaliate against members of the Hartford Park gang members for vandalizing a van owned by Vasquez and for the alleged murder of a friend of H-Block members, Omar Polanco. That same night, 12-year-old Aynis Vargas was outside of 256 Hartford Avenue celebrating a graduation party with other women and children.
Ricardo Vasquez drove the van into Hartford Park and parked behind a building across from the party. Castro, encouraged to "bang the party" by the defendant and the others in the van, exited and approached the party and fired a .22 caliber handgun into the people at the graduation party. Bullets struck and killed 12-year old Aynis Vargas and injured the three other women.
Vasquez pled guilty in September 2013 and is serving a life sentence. Castro pled guilty in April and is serving consecutive life sentences plus 50 years. Luis "Didi" Gonzalez pled guilty in March and is awaiting sentencing.
Luis "Fat Boy" Gonzalez was found guilty by a jury in June of several charges including conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence that ended in death and three counts of discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence resulting in injury. He is awaiting sentencing.