Portsmouth man sentenced to life in prison for 2023 murder

Portsmouth man sentenced to life in prison for 2023 murder

Published on Monday, May 11, 2026

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Portsmouth man has been sentenced in Newport County Superior Court to serve a life sentence at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for the 2023 murder of 50-year-old Xuefeng Wu.

At a hearing on May 11, 2026, Superior Court Justice William E. Carnes sentenced Jacob Morrill (age 27) to serve a life sentence at the ACI.

On March 2, 2026, following the conclusion of a four-day trial, Judge Carnes found the defendant guilty of one count of first-degree murder, one count of driving a vehicle without the consent of the owner, and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card.

"This defendant murdered Mr. Wu in a senseless act of violence, and he will now serve life in prison for his brutal crime," said Attorney General Neronha. "While nothing can lessen the pain felt by Mr. Wu's family and friends, I hope that this significant sentence will bring them some semblance of peace, knowing that justice has finally been served. I am grateful to the Portsmouth Police Department for their collaboration on this case and many others."

During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on May 22, 2023, the defendant struck and killed Xuefeng Wu during an altercation.

That afternoon, Portsmouth Police Department responded to a residence on West Main Road in Portsmouth in an attempt to locate the victim, Mr. Wu, as he had been reported missing by his family and was last known to be travelling to the residence on West Main Road, for which he was the landlord.

The defendant, a tenant at the residence, initially told investigators that the victim had been at the residence earlier in the day, but left. Later that day, the defendant reached back out to investigators to inform them that earlier in the day he and Mr. Wu got into a physical altercation, during which the defendant killed Mr. Wu with a hatchet and moved his body into the wooded area behind his residence.

Investigators returned and found Mr. Wu deceased in the wooded area, as described by the defendant.

Records from the defendant's utility provider also established that the defendant used Mr. Wu's debit card to pay the defendant's utility bill on the day of the murder.

"The Portsmouth Police Department works tirelessly to hold accountable those who perpetrate violence and endanger our community," said Colonel Brian P. Peters, Chief of Portsmouth Police Department. "I hope that this life sentence will bring a sense of closure to Mr. Wu's loved ones. I commend the work of our detectives and officers, as well as our partners at the Attorney General's Office, throughout the investigation and prosecution of this case."

Assistant Attorney General Eric Batista of the Attorney General's Office and Detective Inspector Austin Szczepaniak of the Portsmouth Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.

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