Four children, all aged 11 or 12, have been charged with murder in the fatal beating of 51-year-old Rony Alonso in Providence, Rhode Island—an attack that has left his family heartbroken and calling for justice.

Police responded to 249 Manton Avenue at about 7:23 p.m. on January 19, 2026, after witnesses reported several individuals assaulting an adult man. Providence Police spokeswoman Kristy dosReis said witnesses saw the group knock Alonso down and repeatedly punch and kick him before running off.

Alonso was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, where his condition worsened in the hours following the attack. He succumbed to his injuries on January 22. The medical examiner ruled his death a result of blunt force trauma.

The investigation shifted when plainclothes officers monitoring the Manton Avenue neighborhood after Alonso’s assault observed potentially related behavior on January 20. Around 4 p.m., police responded after a 57-year-old woman reported that a group of youths had thrown rocks at her car. When she stopped to confront them, the boys allegedly tried to attack her, but officers intervened before she was harmed.

Three suspects were taken into custody at that scene and charged at first with malicious vandalism and disorderly conduct. During interviews with Youth Services Bureau detectives, the children allegedly confessed to their involvement in the assault on Alonso. A fourth child was later identified and arrested on a warrant.

The four boys—three 12-year-olds and one 11-year-old—were originally charged with felony assault and conspiracy. After the autopsy confirmed blunt force trauma as the cause of death, prosecutors elevated the charges to murder and conspiracy to commit felony assault. All four appeared in Family Court for arraignment.

Authorities have not identified a motive, though investigators believe the boys simply wanted “to hurt an innocent person.” They are currently held at the Rhode Island Training School.

Alonso’s family described him as a quiet man who emigrated from Guatemala three decades ago. His sister, Ingrid Alonso, said he was unconscious when they reached the hospital. “They killed him unjustly, he didn’t bother anyone,” she said.

The loss is especially painful as the family is still grieving his son Luis, 25, who died in a fiery crash in Warwick in November. They have launched a GoFundMe to help return Alonso’s body to Guatemala. His brother William expressed deep sorrow, saying, “May God forgive them, but I don’t forgive them.”

The family is urging authorities to try the minors as adults, which Rhode Island law permits. The state is one of 23 without a minimum age for transferring juveniles to adult court, according to the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

Kara Hoopis Manosh, president of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, noted that while Rhode Island typically handles cases involving minors under 18 in Family Court with an emphasis on rehabilitation, serious charges like murder allow a judge to transfer the case to adult court. For murder, no minimum age applies, and the court evaluates the child’s maturity, sense of right and wrong, and the details of the offense.

The Attorney General’s office must request a waiver from Family Court within 30 days of arraignment if prosecutors want the case moved to adult court. A Family Court judge would then decide whether the transfer is appropriate.

If the cases stay in Family Court, the youths could remain at the Rhode Island Training School until age 19. The facility emphasizes rehabilitation through education, behavioral health treatment, and skills programs. However, judges can extend confinement beyond age 19, placing certified juveniles into the Adult Correctional Institutions.

Timothy Rondeau, spokesman for Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, declined to say how the office plans to proceed, stating only that the investigation is ongoing.

Police initially misidentified the victim as Romy Alfonso, but later clarified his name was Rony Alonso. The case is still under active investigation by Providence detectives and the Youth Services Bureau.