PROVIDENCE, RI (AP) — A Providence man has been found guilty of killing a Rhode Island barber in 2014 inside a barbershop.

A jury on Friday found Thomas Mosely, 38, guilty of one count of murder in the second degree and one count of discharging a firearm, death resulting. It was his second trial for the killing of Yusef A’Vant, 42, of East Providence, who left behind a teenage son.

A separate jury had declared Mosely guilty of firearms and obstruction charges in November but couldn’t reach a verdict on the most serious crimes, and the judge declared a mistrial. A new trial was later granted, ultimately leading to Friday’s conviction.


Prosecutors said A’Vant was with a customer at Krazy Kuts shop in East Providence when Mosley entered the business, holding a revolver and ordering A’Vant to get on the floor. According to the customer, the only witness in the store, there was a brief struggle and Mosely shot A’Vant in the abdomen before fleeing the scene. The witness ran across the street for help, and A’Vant later died at a hospital.

A second man, Evan Watson, 31, of Providence, pleaded guilty in 2016 to one count of second-degree murder and other crimes for his role in the killing. Prosecutors said he provided the gun used in the murder and served as the getaway driver.