Gunderway pleads guilty to murder of ‘Captain Fredy’

Posted 3/23/17

Troy Gunderway, 46, of Warwick, pleaded guilty Wedesday to the August 1, 2015 murder of Fernando Silva, who was affectionately known as “Captain Fredy.” He also pleaded guilty to one …

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Gunderway pleads guilty to murder of ‘Captain Fredy’

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Troy Gunderway, 46, of Warwick, pleaded guilty Wedesday to the August 1, 2015 murder of Fernando Silva, who was affectionately known as “Captain Fredy.” He also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Under the terms of the plea, which took place before Superior Court Justice Brian P. Stern, Gunderway will be sentenced for second-degree murder at a later date. He is facing a maximum penalty of life in prison with a minimum of 30 years to serve. The conspiracy charge carries a 10-year sentence.
Silva’s two sons and his ex-wife attended the 15-minute hearing at Kent County Court. Wearing a white long sleeve t-shirt and handcuffed, Gunderway appeared emotionless as Justice Stern read the terms of the plea to which he replied “yes” when asked if that is what he had agreed to.
Captain Fredy, who grew up in the Cumberland area, became a regular Warwick visitor about 10 years ago when he would anchor his sloop offshore from Conimicut Point. While he had at one time owned a service station business, he left the business and his family to lead the life of a homeless man, staying in shelters and living on the street. While at a shelter in Westerly, a friend introduced him to boats and sailing. He was able to come up with about $500 to buy his first sailboat but didn’t have the money for the sails. Using a tarp that he fashioned into a sail and with no offshore sailing experience, he set off for Key Largo, Florida. The trip took him two months, but he made it.
Fredy returned to the state on summers and acquired a couple of other boats over the years, the most recent being the 26-foot Columbia where his body was found while moored in Warwick Cove in August 2015. He would anchor off Conimicut, leaving a bicycle on shore that he would use to buy groceries and cigarettes.
That boat, which he called his “yacht,” he had bought for $1.
During Tuesday’s plea hearing, the state read the facts of the case into the record. Had the case proceeded to trial, the state was prepared to prove that on the evening of July 31, 2015, Gunderway and Richard Baribault learned that Captain Fredy had earlier won several hundred dollars playing Keno. The two men conspired to steal the money. 
They drove to the marina where Captain Fredy lived on his boat and boarded the vessel. Captain Fredy, who was asleep at the time, awoke to noises and found Gunderway and Baribault in the cabin of the boat. Baribault struck Captain Fredy in the face several times. Gunderway then restrained Fredy by holding him in a headlock for several minutes while Baribault searched the boat for Fredy’s winnings.  During the assault, Baribault forcefully held a pocket knife to Fredy’s neck and stomach demanding the money and kicked Fredy several times throughout the assault and robbery. Captain Fredy died as a result of the blunt force trauma he sustained during the violent attack.            
Over the next several days, the two men then attempted several times to hide their crime. On one occasion they attempted to move the boat but the motor failed. They returned later in the day with a new motor, but it too failed to start. On another occasion, they brought a cooler containing bleach, a cinder block, and rope to the boat and cleaned the boat using the bleach.
On August 4, 2015 Baribault and Gunderway returned to the boat where they were able to start the original motor. Gunderway piloted the boat to a scenic overlook area of Warwick Cove, dropped anchor and abandoned the vessel. He used the dinghy to row to shore, where he was picked up by Baribault.  
A few days later, Baribault and Gunderway realized that the boat had moved from the location where it was moored. After a search of Warwick Cove, they located the boat in the spot where the body was eventually located by Harbormaster Jeff Baris.  
 The case against Baribault is pending.
Warwick Police Detective Sgt. Mark Canning and Lt. Scott Robillard led the investigation and Special Assistant Attorney General Timothy Healy and Special Assistant Attorney General Matthew LaMountain prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.
Compiled from reports from the Rhode Island Attorney General and John Howell.

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