BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND: Raymond Paiva IV, 30, a Bristol man was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Tuesday, October 3.
Paiva murdered his grandmother, Eudora Gustafson, 66, in a brutal and cold-blooded way on February 10, 2017, in Gustafson’s home in Bristol, Rhode Island.
He pleaded guilty on September 21, 2023, before Superior Court Justice Stephen P Nugent stating he and his girlfriend, Selena Martinez, smothered Gustafson with a pillow and tied a trash bag over her head before stealing her jewellery and car to buy heroin.
How was Eudora Gustafson killed by Raymond Paiva IV?
Paiva was at his grandparents’ house after he had used heroin and wanted more money.
When his grandfather left for work, he attacked his grandmother, who was alone in the living room.
He covered her head with a trash bag, tied it and smothered her with a pillow.
He “removed three or four rings from his grandmother’s hands," jewellery, coins, a chequebook and a car.
Paiva then tried to cash a check from her account but failed.
He also pawned her jewellery in Providence and bought more heroin.
Paiva and Martinez were arrested after a police chase that ended when they crashed Gustafson’s car into a snowbank.
Police shot the couple, wounding them, before taking them into custody, the Providence Journal reported at the time.
Paiva was hit "several times" and a passenger in the car, his girlfriend, was hit once.
How was Eudora Gustafson found?
The affidavit indicates Gustafson’s husband found her “on the couch with a pillow over her face.”
"Mr Gustafson told police he removed the pillow and saw a white plastic garbage bag over her head...and the drawstring tied tightly around Eudora’s neck.”
He told a publication that his wife tried to help Paiva with his drug problem but he did not want the help. He said, “I lost the love of my life.”
Pavia confessed from the hospital bed where he was arraigned, “We strangled her. Both of us. Me and Selena,” according to an affidavit cited by WWLP.
What happened to Raymond Paiva IV GF?
The case for Paiva’s girlfriend, Selena Martinez, is pending in Providence County Superior Court. She has a court hearing on Oct. 23 per Law&Crime.
Gustafson was described as a beautiful person with a huge heart and warm soul on her fundraising page.
"She was extremely generous and loving and will be missed greatly by all who have known her."
Her obituary said that she was among the first women to volunteer for the Bristol Rescue Squad over 30 years ago and worked as a nursing assistant at several nursing homes.
