PRINCETON, WV (WOAY) – A Mercer County teenager has been sentenced to twenty five years in prison for the robbery and murder of a Princeton man.
Lopez was charged with first degree murder, robbery, and conspiracy, according to the initial grand jury indictment.
The shooting happened on June 8, 2024 and resulted in the death of Shailleshbhai Patel.
Court documents obtained by WOAY this afternoon show that Lopez accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to second degree murder, which carries a penalty of ten to forty years in prison. The prosecuting attorney’s office agreed to drop the other charges and stay silent during sentencing.
In the plea agreement, Lopez said that he and his brother, Carlos Lopez, left their house to find someone to steal from. Brandon Lopez alleged that Carlos Lopez shot Patel when he refused to give them his laptop.
Brendon Lopez was 15 years old at the time of the shooting.
Judge Ryan Flanigan sentenced Carlos Lopez to twenty-five years in prison. According to an order, he will stay in juvenile detention until he turns 18 on April 28, 2028.
In exchange, Brandon Lopez agreed to testify in the trial of Carlos Lopez, his brother and alleged co-conspirator. Carlos Lopez was 18 at the time of the shooting.
An indictment obtained by WOAY shows a grand jury charged him with first degree murder, robbery, assault during commission of a felony, wanton endangerment, use of a firearm while committing a felony, and conspiracy.
