Teh One Who Knocks
03-17-2011, 06:19 PM
By Jason Geary - THE LEDGER
http://i.imgur.com/9J19G.jpg
BARTOW | A 43-year-old Bartow man accused of killing his roommate and drinking his blood was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison.
Circuit Judge Ellen S. Masters also ordered Mauricio Lopez to serve five years of probation as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Lopez pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors agreed to drop additional charges of robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault.
During Wednesday's hearing, Lopez communicated through a Spanish interpreter. He indicated he didn't attend school beyond the second grade, and can read and write a little in Spanish.
Lopez's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Katrina Barcellona, said investigative reports were translated for her client, and he was actively involved in the plea negotiations.
Chip Thullbery, a spokesman with the State Attorney's Office in Bartow, told The Ledger on Wednesday that the agreement was reached because a major witness, the victim's brother, is now in Mexico and unavailable to testify at trial.
Prosecutors also took into account that Lopez will be subject to deportation after serving his prison sentence, Thullbery said.
Lopez's arrest last year generated considerable media coverage -- especially the allegations that he drank a cup of blood as part of a bizarre ritual following the fatal stabbing of his 32-year-old roommate, Macario Cruz.
The attack took place Aug. 1 inside the home Lopez and Cruz shared at 1055 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Bartow police say Lopez was upset with Cruz because he was having an affair with his sister-in-law, Mariella Mendez. Lopez is the uncle of Mendez and Cruz's wife.
Lopez's niece, Mendez, told detectives that after Lopez killed Cruz he scooped up blood in a cup and drank it.
She recalled that her uncle was wearing a blood-stained shirt and had a knife in one hand and a cup of blood in the other. She said he gestured to the sky with the cup and said, "You're not gonna catch me. This is my secret."
She said the drinking of blood in Mexico is thought to help a killer evade capture by police.
But Lopez said repeatedly in his statement to detectives that he had no memory of drinking blood.
Lopez said he was drunk on "a lot of beer" and was upset because of the affair between his niece and Cruz.
He said he became enraged when he thought someone tried to lock him inside his room, and he got a knife and climbed out the window.
He said he attacked Cruz's younger brother who managed to escape.
He then went to the kitchen to confront Cruz.
Lopez said he thought Cruz was also armed with a knife and was swinging it.
Detectives said a pair of tongs for tortillas were found near Cruz's body.
Lopez denied wanting to kill Cruz and said he felt "pretty bad" that he died.
After the stabbing, Lopez demanded Mendez and another witness hand over their cell phones, reports state.
Lopez was arrested about three days later trying to hitch a ride, according to police.
http://i.imgur.com/9J19G.jpg
BARTOW | A 43-year-old Bartow man accused of killing his roommate and drinking his blood was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison.
Circuit Judge Ellen S. Masters also ordered Mauricio Lopez to serve five years of probation as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.
Lopez pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors agreed to drop additional charges of robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault.
During Wednesday's hearing, Lopez communicated through a Spanish interpreter. He indicated he didn't attend school beyond the second grade, and can read and write a little in Spanish.
Lopez's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Katrina Barcellona, said investigative reports were translated for her client, and he was actively involved in the plea negotiations.
Chip Thullbery, a spokesman with the State Attorney's Office in Bartow, told The Ledger on Wednesday that the agreement was reached because a major witness, the victim's brother, is now in Mexico and unavailable to testify at trial.
Prosecutors also took into account that Lopez will be subject to deportation after serving his prison sentence, Thullbery said.
Lopez's arrest last year generated considerable media coverage -- especially the allegations that he drank a cup of blood as part of a bizarre ritual following the fatal stabbing of his 32-year-old roommate, Macario Cruz.
The attack took place Aug. 1 inside the home Lopez and Cruz shared at 1055 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Bartow police say Lopez was upset with Cruz because he was having an affair with his sister-in-law, Mariella Mendez. Lopez is the uncle of Mendez and Cruz's wife.
Lopez's niece, Mendez, told detectives that after Lopez killed Cruz he scooped up blood in a cup and drank it.
She recalled that her uncle was wearing a blood-stained shirt and had a knife in one hand and a cup of blood in the other. She said he gestured to the sky with the cup and said, "You're not gonna catch me. This is my secret."
She said the drinking of blood in Mexico is thought to help a killer evade capture by police.
But Lopez said repeatedly in his statement to detectives that he had no memory of drinking blood.
Lopez said he was drunk on "a lot of beer" and was upset because of the affair between his niece and Cruz.
He said he became enraged when he thought someone tried to lock him inside his room, and he got a knife and climbed out the window.
He said he attacked Cruz's younger brother who managed to escape.
He then went to the kitchen to confront Cruz.
Lopez said he thought Cruz was also armed with a knife and was swinging it.
Detectives said a pair of tongs for tortillas were found near Cruz's body.
Lopez denied wanting to kill Cruz and said he felt "pretty bad" that he died.
After the stabbing, Lopez demanded Mendez and another witness hand over their cell phones, reports state.
Lopez was arrested about three days later trying to hitch a ride, according to police.