PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Providence man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for shooting and killing a man in 2023, Target 12 has learned.

Kevin Giron, 20, entered into a plea agreement just days before his murder trial was set to begin on Monday. He admitted to shooting and killing 19-year-old Carlos Morales last spring in John Donigian Memorial Park in Providence, according to court documents.

Giron was initially charged with murder, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, carrying a gun without a license or permit and having committed a felony while on release.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors on Friday amended the murder charge — which carries a life sentence — to a lesser charge of manslaughter. Giron pleaded guilty to manslaughter and carrying a firearm without a license. The other two charges were dropped, according to court records.

A judge sentenced Giron to 15 years in prison with 40 years of probation, according to court documents. He gets credit for time served since last June.

Last spring, police responded to a report of a shooting in the park where they found Morales with a gunshot wound in his chest. He died from the injury. After a few days on the lam, police said they found Giron hiding in a closet under the stairs in an apartment on Union Avenue.

Giron is currently imprisoned at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston.

The R.I. Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alexandra Leslie ( aleslie@wpri.com ) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook .

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