Man involved in fatal CF shooting released on bond

CENTRAL FALLS — A man who allegedly shot another to death in self defense – with a stolen handgun – was released on bond after a preliminary hearing in Sixth District Court on Monday.

For now, the only crime Mael Vazquez currently faces in the shooting death of Maurice Botelho early Sunday morning is possession of a stolen firearm, according to Lt. Christopher Reed of the Central Falls Police Department.

But Reed said additional charges could emerge after state prosecutors and a grand jury review the evidence in the case.

“Everything we’ve obtained so far is leading us to believe it was self-defense,” said Reed. “Any further charges will come out of the attorney general’s office or the grand jury.”

Botelho, 43, of Central Falls, was no stranger to law enforcement in town. According to the judiciary’s web site, he has a criminal record that dates back to 1991 and includes convictions on an assortment of charges, including assault, breaking and entering and trespassing.

Vasquez, 20, has no prior criminal record, according to the judiciary’s web site.

During an initial appearance in Sixth District Court on Monday, Judge Joseph Ippolito freed him on $20,000 property bond, the judiciary’s web site says.

He’s due back in court for another hearing on July 24. The judge referred him to the public defender’s office for legal representation.

But Botelho’s ex-girlfriend fears that Vasquez is going to get off easy for what happened.

“It’s just really sad,” she said. “I think that person should go to jail. For murder.”

Botelho was single but police say he is survived by his parents and siblings. Judging from his Facebook page, he was a big fan of Joan Marie Laurer, a professional wrestler and bodybuilder better known as Chyna, the Grateful Dead and the Transformers.

Police discovered his body after they were dispatched to a report of a shooting at 4 King St. about 1:40 Sunday morning.

Upon arrival, officers encountered Vasquez sitting on the porch stairs as he advised them that “he had a gun and he had shot someone in the basement,” police said in a statement.

“He went on to exclaim that while in the basement he was confronted by an intruder who assaulted him with a blunt object,” police said. “Vasquez further stated that he brandished a firearm from his jacket pocket” and that he pointed and discharged the weapon at his assailant in self defense.”

Botelho was unresponsive when officers located him. Rescue personnel transported him to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.