Oregon killers grinned as the grieving family of the taxi driver they stabbed to death spoke in court, refusing to take responsibility for last year’s Easter Sunday tragedy.
Moses J. Lopez, 30, who identifies as transgender, was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison for stabbing to death Portland radio cab driver Reece Lawhon, 43. .
Lopez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon, and Circuit Judge Heidi Moawad sentenced him to 22 years in prison. This is a lighter sentence than the original second-degree murder charge Lopez received.
After being given the wrong address for Lopez’s apartment, Lawhon picked her up just after 6:40 p.m. on April 9, 2023, and drove her to an area under a freeway overpass in East Portland. . According to The Oregonian.
Lopez, a certified nursing assistant at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in North Portland, was partying in downtown Portland when the situation “got bad” and asked for a ride home. I looked for him and called 911.
The 911 dispatcher told the eventual killer to call a taxi, but the radio taxi dispatcher allegedly entered the wrong destination address, Lopez told the court during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing. Told.
When Lawson arrived, Lopez confirmed his destination was Southeast Third Avenue and Washington Street, but upon arrival he simply gave a different address, the paper said, citing video from inside the cab. reported.
When the taxi stopped in the wrong place, Lawhon realized his mistake and started driving towards the correct location, but that’s when Lopez reached out from the back seat and stabbed him, causing the Oregonian to take over the taxi. A bail memo based on the camera footage was read out.
A civilian paramedic who was near the taxi at the time of the stabbing saw a person wearing bloody clothes get out of the taxi and drop a pair of sharpened brass knuckles. The newspaper previously reportedcites the probable cause affidavit.
Police found Lawhon dead in the taxi with two stab wounds to the neck.
“I ended up in a very scary part of town and it was really scary,” Lopez said Wednesday. “I’m not going to apologize for not getting the help that I so desperately needed.”
Lopez addressed Lawhon’s family, but still stopped short of apologizing for the murder.
“I want you to know that I accept your feelings,” Lopez said. “I’m sorry for what happened, and I’m sorry you lost your loved one. I hope that someday something brings peace to your heart.”
The taxi company slammed several of Lopez’s excuses, claiming Lawhon was the first to notice the mistake and the first to fix the problem.
“The excuses made in court today for (Lopez’s) actions are shameful,” Radio Cab spokeswoman Darin Campbell said after the hearing.
Lawyers for Lopez also offered several excuses for their client’s actions, including growing up on the Oregon coast, having a tough childhood and being removed from his home at an early age.
Lopez was also alleged to have been the victim of violence, said her attorney, Carmen Taylor, who declined to confirm her allegations.
A visual artist and acclaimed musician, Lawhon was remembered as a caring, witty and loving person.
“The most caring, witty and loving son, brother, uncle and dear friend you can imagine. He had the ultimate gift of making people laugh and smile,” the Lawhon family said. said in a statement after the stabbing.
Mr Lawhon’s family condemned his tragic death as the work of a foolish and monstrous man.
“Words cannot describe the horror, pain and consequences of this crime,” his mother, Ginger Lawhon, told the court virtually. “Reese’s death is senseless and we are simply heartbroken. But we refuse to let this ending define his life.”
“We tell our kids over and over again that there are no monsters under the bed or in the closet, but it’s all a lie,” said Claire, one of Reece Lawhon’s two sisters.・Pierce says. “Moses Lopez is a monster and always will be a monster.”
