Man sentenced to 30 years in murder case

Posted 7/29/21

Man sentenced to 30 years in murder case A Cranston man who pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the December 2020 murder of his girlfriend's son has been sentenced to serve 30 years in state prison. Charles Gangi, 74, received the sentence

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Man sentenced to 30 years in murder case

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A Cranston man who pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the December 2020 murder of his girlfriend’s son has been sentenced to serve 30 years in state prison.

Charles Gangi, 74, received the sentence July 19 in Superior Court after waiving indictment and entering the no-contest plea. After his term at the Adult Correctional Institutions, he will serve another 30 years suspended with probation.

Authorities say Gangi shot 41-year-old five times with a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver following an argument at a B Street home on Dec. 29, 2020. Gangi was living in the B Street home with Zois’s mother at the time of the killing.

“Far too often, and at a pace that seems to only be increasing in the past year, disagreements and arguments have led to extraordinary overreactions – even acts of violence, as occurred here,” Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. “The defendant’s decision to resolve an argument at the point of a gun ended one person’s life and forever changed others. Such senseless violence warrants a lengthy sentence, and I am grateful to the court for imposing one in this case. I am also thankful for the fine work and partnership of the Cranston Police Department during the investigation into the case.”

“This case is an example of how a menial argument within a household can quickly escalate and result in tragic consequences when a firearm is easily accessible and is used with no forethought,” Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael Winquist said in the statement.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Bethany Laskowski. Detective Joseph Hopkins of the Cranston Police Department led the investigation.

Health officials: Legionnaire’s disease on the rise

The Rhode Island Department of Health has reported observing an increase in the number of Legionnaire’s disease cases in the state.

“No common source of exposure has been identified, although an investigation is ongoing,” a statement from the department reads.

According to health officials, Rhode Island averaged 10 cases of the disease during the months of June and July between 2014 and 2020. From June 2 to July 26 of this year, however, 30 cases have been reported. Twenty-nine of the cases involved the onset of illness between June 17 and July 21, and 28 of those affected have been hospitalized.

“Symptoms of LD start two to 10 days after breathing in the bacteria,” according to the statement. “Symptoms can include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches. It is spread from a contaminated water source through the air. LD cannot spread from person to person.”

Legionnaire’s disease is treatable with antibiotics, health officials said, although it is fatal for roughly one in 10 people to contract the disease. The disease is “especially a concern in buildings that primarily house people older than 65, buildings with multiple housing units and a centralized hot water system (like hotels or high-rise apartment complexes), and buildings higher than 10 stories.”

“This is another example that underscores the value of RIDOH's routine monitoring for communicable diseases,” Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said in the statement. “We know that Legionella bacteria grow best in complex water systems that are not well maintained. When this water becomes aerosolized in small droplets, such as in a cooling tower, shower, or decorative fountain, people can accidentally breathe in the contaminated water. This is of particular concern now as some buildings' water systems have been offline for a prolonged period due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are just now returning to service.”

Additional information is available at www.health.ri.gov.

-- Daniel Kittredge

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