Former R.I. National Guard member guilty in brutal beheading of a Providence man

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Nearly six years after the brutal beheading of a Providence man, a judge has found a former Rhode Island National Guard member guilty of first-degree murder and mutilation of a human body.

Troy Ingram, 27, was convicted Thursday by Associate Justice Maureen Keough following a four-day bench trial that spanned May and June. Ingram had waived his right to a jury trial.

Prosecutors said Ingram killed and beheaded 40-year-old Moshin Muhammad inside his Jewett Street apartment on July 20, 2019. Coworkers alerted police after Muhammad failed to show up for his night shift, leading officers to discover the gruesome scene.

Muhammad moved to the United States to provide a better life for his wife and two sons who live in Pakistan.

During the trial, a former Providence Detective testified that Muhammad “appeared to be decapitated.” Investigators found a shirt at the crime scene that contained DNA from both Ingram and the victim. Authorities also tracked a phone registered to Muhammad to a location where Ingram had been seen and later fled from police.

Police said there was no known connection between Ingram and Muhammad. They believe Ingram broke into the apartment the night of the killing. At the time, Ingram’s mother told reporters she didn’t believe her son was capable of such violence, noting he had been staying with a neighbor after a disagreement at home.

The defense argued Ingram was suffering from mental illness linked to his service in the National Guard.

Ingram’s attorney has filed a motion for a new trial, with a hearing scheduled for July 28. A sentencing date has not yet been set.