The mass firearm attack that shattered a high school hockey tournament in Pawtucket has taken a darker turn after records revealed that the attacker was related by blood to the ex-wife she m**dered.
Roberta Esposito, born Robert Dorgan, deliberately targeted her own family inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena on February 16, taking the lives of her ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan and their 23-year-old son Aidan before turning the weapon on herself.
Three others, including Rhonda’s parents Gerald and Linda Dorgan, were left critically injured.
Now, a deep dive into public records has uncovered that Esposito and Rhonda were first cousins once removed.
New details emerged concerning the blood ties between trans sh*oter Roberta Esposito and her wife, Rhonda Dorgan
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
The revelation emerged after the Providence Journal examined why the shooter shared the same last name as her ex-wife’s parents. At first, it appeared coincidental.
Using the 1950 Census, the outlet traced the Dorgan lineage back to Edward Dorgan and his wife Eva, who lived in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with their two sons, Raymond Dorgan and Robert J. Dorgan.
Image credits: Rhonda Dorgan
Robert J. Dorgan later became the father of the attacker. Raymond Dorgan fathered Gerald Dorgan, who would go on to become Rhonda’s father.
In other words, Edward Dorgan was the attacker’s grandfather and the great-grandfather of her ex-wife. That made Rhonda and Esposito first cousins once removed when they married in 1992.
Rhode Island is among roughly 20 states that legally permit first cousins to marry. The Ocean State also allows avunculate marriages, between uncle and niece, under certain religious or cultural circumstances.
The couple eventually divorced in 2021.
Esposito was equipped with two firearms, one of which she used to take her own life
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
The violence took place around 2:30 pm during a senior tournament game. A livestream meant to broadcast the matchup captured the moment the firearm was used. Approximately 11 bullets rang out.
Students and spectators dove to the floor. Players rushed toward locker rooms and barricaded themselves inside. Some reportedly tore off their skates while fleeing and others vaulted over the rink barrier.
Image credits: Rhonda Dorgan
Branden Mello, a local sports editor present at the scene, said Esposito had been seated in the last row near the Blackstone Valley Schools’ bench before moving down and firing at people in the “second or third row.”
One father managed to wrestle a firearm away from her. But, as Mello recounted, she still “had a second weapon” and fired again. Police later confirmed two firearms were recovered.
Officers arrived within two minutes of the first 911 call. Esposito’s body was found near one of the victims.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said during a press conference, “We have identified the person, the suspect, by a birth name, the birth name was Robert Dorgan.
We have also learned that the person does go by the name of Roberta, also uses the last name of Esposito.”
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien called it a tragedy for the city. “Pawtucket is a strong and resilient community, but tonight we are a city in mourning,” he said. “We will stand together to support all those affected in the difficult days ahead.”
Esposito had fathered six children with three different women, and held radical racist beliefs
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
The fatal victims included Rhonda and Aidan.
Aidan had been pursuing an engineering degree. The couple also shared Ava, 20, a nursing student, and Colin, 17, who was playing the night of the attack. In total, Esposito had six children by three different women.
Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, 38, one of the daughters from a previous marriage, said her father had “struggled with demons” and had become alienated from much of the family due to erratic behavior.
She was inside the arena when the gunfire began and locked eyes with her estranged father. She said she believed she and her two young sons would be next.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
“He s*ot my family, and he’s d**d now,” she told reporters outside the police station. “He has mental health issues.”
Investigators are also examining Esposito’s online activity.
An account appearing to belong to her contained thousands of posts mixing anti-trans rhetoric complaints with antisemitic, racist, and pro-N*zi content. She described herself as “to the right of Adolf Hitler.”
Image credits: VerdadEsPoder
Esposito had a visible “SS” tattoo with a skull-and-bones symbol associated with the T**rd Reich on her right bicep.
She was not the only family member with a disturbing record.
Image credits: WCVB
One of her sons from a previous marriage, Kevin Colantonio, 37, is serving a seven-year sentence in a Texas federal prison for setting fires at a predominantly Black church in 2024. Locals told WPRI they believed Esposito influenced his racial extremism.
“They looked alike.” Netizens shared their thoughts on the reveal online
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