Crime & Safety
Worcester Man Accused Of Shooting Friend In The Head In Court: Report
Leroy L. Thompson Jr. is facing several charges, including murder.
WORCESTER, MA — The trial for the Worcester man who allegedly shot a friend in the head opened on Monday in Worcester Superior Court, according to a report from the Telegram and Gazette.
Leroy L. Thompson Jr. pleaded not guilty to all charges. The 30-year-old is accused of shooting a friend named Joshua Lopez over a discrepancy in a restaurant bill on July 4 in 2020.
Thompson is charged with murder, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card and reckless endangerment of a child.
The Telegram and Gazette reports that Assistant DA Timothy A. Westerman told the jurors that a man nearby recorded two videos, with one showing Thompson retrieving and shooting a loaded gun.
Westerman said that Thompson fired a single gunshot that killed Lopez, who was 24 years old at the time, and nearly shot a friend’s child, who was 4 years old, according to the report.
Defense attorney Jeanne E. Earley told the jury that Thompson had been hearing voices in his head and taking antipsychotic medicine since he was 9 or 10 years old, according to the Telegram and Gazette.
Jurors will hear witness testimony this week and next week.
