(HorizonPost.com) – An Oregon man who claims to be transgender was sentenced to 22 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the fatal stabbing of a cab driver last year, KPTV reported.
Moses Jacob Lopez, 30, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and the unlawful use of a weapon in the April 2023 stabbing death of Radio Cab driver Reese Lawhon.
Lawhon’s family accepted the plea deal to prevent their parents from having to endure a murder trial.
Portland police officers responded to an incident shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, 2023, where they found Lawhon dead in his cab. Video footage from the cab’s surveillance camera showed Lopez, a passenger, stabbing Lawhon in the neck. A private ambulance crew who witnessed the incident told police that Lopez exited the cab and dropped what appeared to be a bladed set of brass knuckles.
Lopez was arrested at the scene.
He later told investigators that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and contacted 911 seeking help. The dispatcher allegedly told Lopez to call a cab. Lopez stabbed Lawhon when he drove him to the wrong address.
During his plea hearing on Wednesday, Lopez showed no remorse for the killing, blaming the system for failing to help him before he stabbed Lawhon. He told the court that he refused to apologize for not getting the help he needed.
Lawhon’s family provided victim impact statements to the court via video link.
When Lawhon’s sister Claire Pearce described Lopez as a “monster,” the convicted killer smirked at the description.
Darin Campbell, a spokesman for Radio Cab blasted Lopez for making excuses for killing Lawhon, telling reporters after the hearing that Lopez’s behavior was “disgraceful.”
Campbell said Lawhon would have helped Lopez if he had asked for help but Lopez “never once said a single word in that cab ride.” He insisted that if he had, “it could’ve been very different.”
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