Men face murder, conspiracy charges in killing of pregnant woman found in pond

LINCOLN, R.I. (WJAR) — Rhode Island State Police said they arrested two men in the killing of a pregnant woman whose body was found in a Coventry pond.

Authorities said one of them is the father of the unborn child.

A fisherman found the body of Leila Duarte Da Luz, 34, of Brockton, Mass. in Carbuncle Pond on Dec. 21, 2022. Investigators said she had cuts to her head and treated her death as suspicious.

State police said Gary Gromkiewicz, 35, of Lincoln, was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities said he is the father of the woman's unborn baby and that he was on probation for a 2015 felony assault conviction.

The second suspect, Michael Lambert, 46, was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

State police said Lambert was free on parole in a 1995 murder conviction at the time the woman was killed.

State police said detectives executed 53 search warrants during the investigation into the woman's death.

The evidence collected required a massive amount of time and effort for investigators to analyze the technical data and physical evidence. But with this information, coupled with numerous witness interviews, detectives established the framework for the criminal charges brought forth today," state police said in a release.

Gromkiewicz's neighbors are speechless.

I'm almost at a loss for words because of it, you know? I have kids, he [points to neighbor] has kids, so it kind of hits close to home," said James Parmenter.

Others shared similar sentiments.

You never know who you live next to," said Wayne Rogers. "That's all you gotta say, you never know who you live next to."

WJAR talked to the woman's family in February. They had been begging police for answers about what happened to their loved one.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: WJAR's Joanna Bouras and Leanna Faulk contributed to this report.