Lopez attempted to murder his ex-wife by premeditation and infliction of great bodily injury. In 1996 he shot five bullets into the car where she was sitting outside her work place.  Several bullets struck her in her upper torso, leaving her near death.  The defendant evaded capture until 2001. When he was finally caught, he continued in his efforts to avoid being held accountable for his conduct by causing repeated delays in the criminal court case by frequently changing attorneys and then challenging the new attorney’s competence.  In mid 2004, the defendant was finally tried and convicted. Lopez was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison.