Hemet Man Faces Death for Allegedly Killing Wife & Child, Raping Ex-Girlfriend

By City News Service:

A convicted felon accused of killing his wife and 5- year-old daughter, as well as raping and stabbing his ex-girlfriend, must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled Friday.

Johnny Lopez, 34, of Hemet, was arrested last Nov. 9 after alleged attacks at two different locations in the unincorporated east end of the city.

Following a preliminary hearing Friday morning at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for Lopez on two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of attempted murder, rape by force or fear, burglary and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Lopez is also facing a special circumstance allegation of taking multiple lives in the same crime, which makes him eligible for the death penalty -- a sentence that the District Attorney’s Office intends to seek if he’s convicted.

Bermudez scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment in the case for Oct. 31. Lopez is being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center.

According to court documents, the defendant confessed to sheriff’s detectives that he had carried out the killings to get rid of his “baggage,” apparently referring to the victims.

Investigators allege that on the night of Nov. 9, Lopez fatally shot his daughter, Mia Lopez, whom he sired in a prior relationship, then turned the gun on his wife, 36-year-old Joanna Angel Barrientos Lopez, who walked into the room after hearing the gunfire.

Both victims were shot twice in the head with a 9mm pistol, according to investigators. Both were later discovered in the living room of Lopez’s single-story house at 26174 Girard Street.

After the shootings, Lopez drove to his ex-girlfriend’s home at 41060 Sunset Lane, less than a mile away, and allegedly forced his way inside via a window. Carrying an ax and knife that he allegedly stole from a nearby resident’s property, he subdued the 30-year-old victim and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors allege.

“According to his confession, he used the knife to slit her throat,” said Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky.

When Lopez walked out of the house with blood on his hands, a neighbor called 911, and a sheriff’s deputy arrived moments later.

“The deputy sees the defendant standing in front of a house across the street and approaches him, and he takes off,” Strunsky said.

The lawman deployed pepper spray to stop Lopez, who continued to resist, prompting the deputy to strike him with his baton, at which point the defendant surrendered, according to Strunsky.

The ex-girlfriend, whose identity was not released, underwent surgery and ultimately recovered.

Lopez has prior felony convictions for illegal possession of controlled substances and recklessly discharging a firearm.

His trial is expected to go forward next year.