Pleau Pleads Guilty To Murder, Feds Drop Death Penalty

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the sentence agreed to in the plea bargain, and Gov. Chafee's remarks on the agreement. A copy of the agreement is also attached to this article.

Accused murderer Jason W. Pleau, 35, will plead guilty to the robbery and murder of Woonsocket gas station manager David Main, avoiding a federal death penalty.

Under the agreement, Pleau and the US Government agree to a sentence of life without parole for Pleau.

According to a signed plea agreement filed today in U.S. District Court in Providence, Pleau will plead guilty as charged by way of a federal indictment for the robbery and murder of Main, according to the US Department of Justice's Providence office. Pleau is alleged to have robbed and shot Main Sept. 20, 2010, as the gas station manager attempted to enter a Woonsocket bank to deposit his station's receipts.

As required by the United States Attorneys’ Manual, the Attorney General has approved the filing of the plea agreement and the withdrawal of the Notice of Intent to Seek a Sentence of Death against Pleau.

According to the court filing, Pleau will plead guilty as charged to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery; Hobbs Act robbery; and carrying, using, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a federal crime of violence, death resulting.

The plea bargain renders the protests of Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who lobbied strenuously to remove the threat of the death penalty on ethical grounds, including a failed plea for the US Supreme Court to intervene, moot. 

"My thoughts are with Mr. Main’s family, Chafee said in a statement released this afternoon. "The case today has reached a conclusion, and Mr. Main’s family can begin the long healing process. A life sentence is the appropriate punishment for this brutal crime and respects Rhode Island’s long-standing opposition to the death penalty."