‘Latin Kings’ Gang Leader Freed by ‘First Step Act’ Arrested for Murder After Nationwide Manhunt

A notorious leader of the “Almighty Latin Kings” gang has been arrested for murdering a man less than a year after being freed from federal prison by the “First Step Act.”

Joel Francisco, 41, had been wanted since October 2nd for stabbing to death 46-year-old Troy Pine at a hookah lounge in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Rhode Island, Breitbart News reported. Last week, authorities confirmed that Francisco was arrested at a motel in the San Antonio, Texas area.

In February, Francisco — dubbed the “Crown Prince” of the Latin Kings gang in 2005 — was released from federal prison after President Donald Trump signed into law the First Step Act, promoted by a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and progressive and libertarian nonprofits.

According to an investigative report by the Providence Journal‘s Brian Amaral and Katie Mulvaney, Francisco was convicted in 2005 for dealing crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The conviction was Francisco’s third drug conviction, thus he was given a mandatory life sentence in federal prison.

Former DOJ prosecutor charged with stealing confidential Jack Smith investigation documents about Trump

String of burglaries rocking LA residential area committed by South American gangs, DA says

Illegal immigrant truck driver from India arrested in deadly California hit-and-run after Biden release

Vanessa Trump Reveals Scary ‘Personal Health Update’

Trump owns the GOP. Could Republicans pay the price in the midterms?

Owner of daycare in viral Nick Shirley video charged in $4.6M daycare fraud scheme, prosecutors say

Woman Pleads Guilty to Murder of Girl, 2, After Police Find Grisly Box Hidden in Back of Closet

Scientists Spent 20 Years Scaring Our Kids with a Climate Model They Knew Was Flawed

Can Keisha Lance Bottoms deliver the Georgia win Stacey Abrams could not?

Scott Jennings Delivers Reality Check to People Blaming Jews for Thomas Massie’s Loss

New website puts Platner on notice by amplifying scandals: ‘One red flag after another’

Fox News Poll: 30% think recent Trump assassination attempt was staged

Fox News Poll: As economic pain deepens, disapproval of Trump hits new high

AG Todd Blanche Says Raul Castro Will Stand Before US Court, Strongly Suggests US Forces May Be Used to Secure Him

Christopher Rufo Says California Fraud Is Stealing Taxpayer Money on a Scale That Makes Minnesota Look Like ‘Child’s Play’

After Trump signed the First Step Act into law, though, Francisco had his life sentence for crack dealing reduced and he was released in February of this year, along with the other 3,100 convicts released this year by the new law.

Before his release, Francisco pleaded with the court that he had turned his life around, noting his taking part in rehabilitation programs in prison, which advocates of the First Step Act readily cited to make their case that even violent convicts could be reformed and thus released.

On July 13, about six months after being released from prison, Francisco was accused of breaking into the home of his ex-girlfriend and charged with domestic violence. Three months later, on October 2nd, police said Francisco stabbed Pine to death and immediately skipped town in an attempt to evade murder charges.

“I just want an answer,” Pine’s nephew Jay Chattelle told the Providence Journal. “I just want to know what happened to my uncle. But at the same time, you’re thinking, ‘Once this is all done, Uncle Troy is still not here.’”

Before his release from federal prison, Providence law enforcement officials warned that the former gang leader would likely commit additional crimes if released.

“Some criminals deserve to spend their lives incarcerated,” Providence Police Department Deputy Chief Thomas Verdi told the Providence Journal. “Joel is one.”