HAWAI’I COUNTY, Hawaii — A 67-year-old California man will spend two decades in prison after stabbing his 64-year-old girlfriend several times at a beach resort nearly three years ago.
The Hawai’i County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced on March 19 that Richard Lopez was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of six years and eight months.
In December 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder. The prosecution argued that the court “accepted his submission that he was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance at the time of the incident.”
Lopez and his 17-year-old girlfriend were visiting Hawai’i Island when he stabbed her on September 1, 2022, at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort.
According to an initial statement from the prosecuting attorney’s office, the victim suffered stab and slash wounds to her face and neck.
Lopez was originally charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and abuse of a family or household member.
The defendant was held in custody during the criminal proceedings in lieu of $1 million bail.
