PROVIDENCE – The son of a late Rhode Island mobster admitted on Thursday he murdered his ex-girlfriend in their Cranston apartment in 2019, court records show.
Michael Marrapese, 46, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, domestic violence, in connection to the death of 29-year-old Lauren Ise.
Marrapese retracted his not guilty plea in Providence County Superior Court as trial proceedings in the case were underway, according to online court records.
An attorney representing Marrapese could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday afternoon.
Marrapese, who has been held without bail since his arrest in March 2019, is the son of convicted killer and former member of the Patriarca crime family in Providence, Frank “Bobo” Marrapese, according to The Providence Journal.
The elder Marrapese died in 2017 while serving time in state prison for his role in an illegal gambling ring.
Cranston police have said on March 13, 2019, officers were contacted by Providence police, after that department received information Ise “had been murdered by her estranged boyfriend, Michael Marrapsese.”
Police responded to the apartment the couple previously shared at 245 Bay View Ave. for a well-being check where they found Ise dead.
Authorities launched a homicide investigation and through speaking to witnesses, they identified Marrapese as the suspect, according to police.
Later, Marrapese was seen walking on Cranston Street in Providence and taken into custody, police said, soon after the arrest.
At the time, Cranston police said the department was familiar with Marrapese and Ise “through prior contacts,” including calls for domestic disturbances involving both of them at the apartment.
“The victim did not have a protective order in effect against Marrapese at the time of her death but recently reported feeling threatened by Mr. Marrapese after he moved out of the residence,” police said in a statement.
Marrapese was later indicted in July 2019.
Records show Marrapese is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31.
Comment count: