2 Rhode Island men arrested in connection with murder of a pregnant woman from Brockton

Two Rhode Island men were arrested for allegedly murdering a pregnant woman from Brockton, and one of them is the father of the unborn child, according to Rhode Island State Police.

The father, Gary R. Gromkiewicz, 35, and his known associate, Michael P. Lambert, 46, were arrested Tuesday and charged with both murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They are believed to have killed 34-year-old Leila Duarte Da Luz, of Brockton.

Lambert is currently being held at the Adult Corrections Institution for violating his parole from a 1995 murder conviction, and Gromkiewicz is being arraigned at the Kent County Courthouse sometime Wednesday. He was on parole from a 2015 felony conviction for asault with a deadly weapon.

Da Luz’s body was recovered in December submerged in Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, Rhode Island, police report. The State Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, and police say they were able to identify her Dec. 27, a week after she was found, from a missing person’s report in Brockton.

In the resulting investigation, police say they executed 53 search warrants involving evidence pertaining to the murder. Police report they were able to use the warrants and interviews to arrest the two suspects.

Multiple units within the Rhode Island State Police assisted in the process, as well as Brockton police and several other agencies.

Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and director of the Department of Public Safety, said he was grateful for the collaborative effort.

“I want to commend our Troopers and partners in law enforcement for their exceptional diligence and hard work in pursuit of justice for Ms. Da Luz,” he said in a statement. “On behalf of the Rhode Island State Police, I extend my condolences to the loved ones of Ms. Da Luz at this difficult time.”