CAIRO, GA (WALB) - A Grady County jury returned guilty verdicts in the murder trial of Nicholas Lopez on Monday. The jury found that Lopez killed Ronald Moon on May 26th, 2017.
Chief Judge J. Kevin Chason sentenced Lopez to Life without the Possibility of Parole for Murder, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime, and Aggravated Assault.
Lopez and Moon were neighbors in the 500 block of Bond Road, and got into a fight, which led to the shooting, the Grady County Sheriff’s Office said, in 2017.
“Mr. Lopez had been a thorn in law enforcement’s side for quite some time,” said District Attorney Joe Mulholland. “I thank the Jury for their hard work and diligence, and the Sheriff’s Office for a thorough investigation. Senior ADA David Atwell did a commendable job trying the case. I pray for Mr. Moon’s family and hope this gives them some closure.”
Chief Investigator Chris Luckey led the investigation by the Grady County Sheriff’s Office.
The Trial concluded a long month for the South Georgia Office of the District Attorney in three counties (Decatur, Grady, and Calhoun) where trials were being held.
Over the course of the month, the District Attorney’s Office was able to secure four life without parole convictions, along with a 30 plus year conviction in a child molestation case in four separate trials.
The D. A. and three senior assistants tried four cases and secured four convictions.
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