![[CREDIT: RISP:] State Police have charged two RI men with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of a pregnant Brockton, MA woman.](https://e8dgfhu6pow.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Carbuncle-Pond-Murder-Suspects-Charged.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
![CREDIT: RISP:] The Carbuncle Pond murderers have been sentenced to life in prison.](https://e8dgfhu6pow.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Carbuncle-Pond-Murder-Suspects-Charged-336x212.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
DaLuz’s body was recovered from Carbuncle Pond in Coventry on Dec. 21, 2022.
At a hearing on March 28, 2025, Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos sentenced Michael Lambert, 48 and Gary Gromkiewicz, 37 to life in prison, plus an additional 10 years, for the murder and conspiracy to murder Leila Duarte DaLuz.
On Jan. 17, 2025, following a 10-day jury trial, a jury found each of the defendants guilty of one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. For this trial, Judge Matos sat two separate juries, each of which delivered convictions for their respective defendants.
“Today’s sentencing is a just conclusion to a truly devastating case,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Leila’s life ended under horrible circumstances, but her life is not defined by her death. As National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nears, we must all recommit ourselves to centering victims, including the families of victims, within our understanding of true justice. While nothing can bring Leila back to her loved ones, I hope that these life sentences bring them a sense of closure and peace. I am very grateful to both juries for getting this right, and to the Rhode Island State Police for their hard work on this complex case.”
Carbuncle Pond Murderers traveled RI, Warwick day of killing
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that during the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2022, the Carbuncle Pond murderers viciously assaulted Leila Duarte DaLuz and left her to drown in Carbuncle Pond.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2022, Gromkiewicz and Lambert traveled to Brockton, Mass. to pick up Ms. Duarte DaLuz at her home. The victim was Gromkiewicz’s ex-girlfriend and was pregnant at the time. According to cell phone location data and video surveillance footage, they then drove throughout Rhode Island over the course of the morning, making multiple stops, including in the Buttonwoods section of Warwick and at a Lincoln gas station/convenience store.
At approximately 6:18 a.m., investigators tracked their travel to western Coventry, in an area where Carbuncle Pond is located, and where investigators recovered the body of Ms. Duarte DaLuz.
The victim was found by a local fisherman in Carbuncle Pond, beneath the ice, with lacerations on her head. According to the medical examiner’s report, DaLuz sustained blunt force trauma to the head. The medical examiner also found water in her lungs, indicating she was alive when she entered the water.
RI State Police charged the Carbuncle Pond murderers in May 2023. The men’s indictments were announced in September 2023.
Criminal Division Chief Stephen Dambruch and Assistant Attorney General John Corrigan of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Corporal Robert Hopkins and Detective James Hudson of the Rhode Island State Police led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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