PROSECUTOR: Deputy District Attorney Sterling Wilkins, State Targeted Offenses Program
The Honorable Deborah Lobre sentenced Jesus Lopez to 30 years to life in state prison. On June 11, 2025, Lopez withdrew his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and entered a plea to the second-degree murder of Jose Garcia at California State Prison Sacramento. He also admitted to having a prior 2003 strike conviction for voluntary manslaughter.
In February 2020, Lopez was serving a 14-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter at California State Prison Sacramento. Lopez was housed in a double-bunk cell with the victim. On February 24, 2020, the victim was asleep in the lower bunk when Lopez got on top of him and began to strangle him. Lopez continued to strangle the victim for a few minutes and then stopped to pace around the cell. Lopez decided to resume strangling the victim for several more minutes. He then got the attention of a correctional officer and told him he thinks he killed his cellmate. Officers attempted to perform life-saving measures on the victim, but he was pronounced deceased. An autopsy revealed his cause of death to be asphyxia by neck compression.
During an interview with investigators, Lopez stated he “just flipped out” when he decided to kill his cellmate. Lopez later claimed he heard voices in his head telling him the victim was planning to hurt him, so he needed to kill the victim. Lopez also admitted that he waited for the correctional officer to pass their cell during the hourly rounds to ensure he would have enough time to kill the victim before officers can intervene.
Lopez initially entered pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity. Two psychiatrists evaluated Lopez and opined that he was legally sane at the time he committed the murder.
