Anthony J. Lopez Bio – Anthony J. Lopez Wiki
Anthony J. Lopez will be serving the next 91 years in prison. He took his friend into a wooded area, beat him in the face with the barrel of a gun, and shot him three times.
AGE:
Anthony J. Lopez is 42 years old.
DETAIL OF INCIDENCE:
A Fort Wayne man convicted of murder in the April shooting death of a man whose body was discovered in a wooded area was sentenced to 91 years in prison Tuesday.
Last month, a jury also found Anthony J. Lopez guilty of illegally possessing a firearm in the death of William Jeffrey Kintzel, 63, of South Whitley.
Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Lopez to 65 years for the murder, 20 years for a sentence enhancement for using a gun in the crime, and six years for carrying a handgun with a felony conviction within the previous 15 years.
Kintzel was facing an upcoming trial for cocaine possession when his body was discovered on April 14. Police believe the slaying occurred days earlier.
Prosecutors said a nearby resident’s surveillance camera captured footage of Kintzel driving Lopez and another man near the wooded area, parking, and the man waiting in Kintzel’s SUV. At the same time, the victim and Lopez headed into the woods, and then Lopez ran out.
A neighbor told CBS affiliate WANE-TV he heard gunshots and saw a man come out of the woods with a hooded sweatshirt and face covering. The station reported that Kintzel was found with his car keys around his neck on a lanyard and his driver’s license.
Lopez’s attorney, Richard Thonet, has said he will appeal the verdicts.
The driver of the SUV was Michael Allen Barker, 42, of Fort Wayne, investigators have said.
Camera surveillance shows that Lopez and Barker went into several stores, bought bleach and Clorox wipes, and then cleaned the SUV, WANE-TV reported, citing court documents.
A warrant for Barker’s arrest charges him with murder and felony robbery resulting in serious bodily injury.