Death Sentence Recommended In Northeast Ohio Murder Case

CLEVELAND — On Friday, a jury recommended the death penalty for Matthew Nicholson for the murders of Manuel Lopez and Giselle Lopez. Nicholson was found guilty of aggravated murder and attempted felonious assault on October 11.

According to prosecutors, on September 5, 2018, Nicholson got off work and drove to his girlfriend's house on E. 86th Street and Garfield Boulevard in Garfield Heights. After getting to her house, the couple got into an argument and Nicholson attacked her, hitting her in the face multiple times.

The woman's son, Manuel Lopez, 17, tried to step between the couple. Nicholson and Manuel then fought until Nicholson left the house to get a gun. Manuel called the police.

As Nicholson retrieved his gun, Giselle Lopez, 19, got home from work. Her mother told Giselle and Manuel to run outside. As they ran, Nicholson fired 13 shots at them, hitting Manuel and Giselle multiple times.

Manuel died near the house. Giselle was taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery. She was declared dead shortly thereafter, prosecutors said.

Nicholson was arrested after a four-hour standoff with a SWAT team.

Garfield Heights police, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office investigated the killings. They found that Manuel had been shot eight times and Giselle had been shot four times, while attempting to run from Nicholson, prosecutors said.

“The heinous facts in this case led us to seek the death penalty. With this result, it is clear the jurors agreed with our decision,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of the teenage victims.”

On October 11, a jury found Nicholson guilty of aggravated murder and attempted felonious assault. On Friday, they recommended the death penalty for Nicholson. The judge will consider the jury's recommendation during sentencing on November 13.