Supreme Court Upholds Gang Member's Conviction in Murder Ploy

The California Supreme Court Thursday upheld a Northridge gang member's conviction and death sentence for masterminding the killing of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend at the hands of his younger brother.

Juan Manuel Lopez, now 40, was convicted in July 1998 of first-degree murder and other crimes, with jurors finding true the special circumstance allegation that Melinda "Mindy" Carmody was killed because she was a witness to a crime. He was sentenced to death in September 1998.

The prosecution argued that the defendant's then-17-year-old brother, Ricardo Lopez, killed the Panorama City teenager at the request of his older brother, who was in jail at the time in connection with charges that he had kidnapped and assaulted Carmody.

Ricardo Lopez was also convicted of first-degree murder, but could not face the death penalty because of his age at the time of the crime.

Carmody -- who had previously lived with the Lopez family for about six months during her relationship with Juan Lopez -- was shot once in the back of the head and two times in the back in April 1996.

In its filing, attorneys from the California Attorney General's Office wrote that Juan Lopez "had a motive to kill Melinda to prevent her from testifying against him at the kidnapping trial, and to retaliate for her testifying at the preliminary hearing."

The defense contended in its filing that there was not enough evidence to support Lopez's conviction or to permit a death sentence, arguing that the judgment must be reversed.