Barber, convicted of murder, says mistakes were made during the trial. Judge Fresno disagrees

A Fresno County Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a motion to hold a new trial for Luis Daniel Lopez, a Fresno barber convicted of second-degree murder for the murder of 23-year-old Alex Solorio.

This was the second trial in the Lopez murder case. The first ended with an acquittal of first-degree murder on February 16 last year. The jury failed to reach a unanimous decision in the second-degree murder case, so the case was retried.

At his second trial, Lopez was found guilty of second-degree murder in a case led by Tim Galstan.

But Lopez, 32, and his new lawyer, Michael Aed, believe the jury at the second trial was wrong. They contend that there were errors in the jury’s instructions and that his previous defense counsel was ineffective.

Aed said his client deserved a new trial. Judge Arlan L. Harrell disagreed.

“Most of the evidence against the defendant came from the defendant himself,” Harrell said. “He confessed to the murder and the use of the knife. The only issue was whether he acted in self-defense or was provoked. The court concluded that he was not provoked. Basically, it was a revenge killing based on all the evidence.”

The victim received 35 stab wounds.

Solorio’s body was found on May 30 by colleagues at Colima’s Fade Shop as they were about to open a business in the 6700 block of North Blackstone Avenue, near Herndon.

Lopez told police that he and Solorio got into a fight after a night of drinking at the store. Lopez said the fight escalated and he stabbed Solorio to death in self-defense.

Prosecutor Tim Galstan presented evidence that Lopez was badly beaten during the fight. But Lopez also fought back, stabbing Solorio 35 times with a penknife. Solorio died on the spot.

In his ruling, the judge stated that all the elements necessary to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt were present.

“Based on the evidence, there was no miscarriage of justice here,” he said. “The charges against Mr. Lopez are true and the law requires it. The motion for a new trial is denied.”

The story goes on

After the hearing, Galstan said he was glad that this phase of the case had come to an end. According to Galstan, members of the Solorio family were also grateful.

Aed was not surprised by the referee’s decision.

“While we are disappointed with the court’s decision, we did not necessarily expect the court to grant the motion for a new trial,” Aed said.

“This is a difficult case and no one is happy with the situation. We were just concerned about some issues with the second trial that resulted in a verdict that was inconsistent with the evidence.”

Aed said the next step for him would be to file an appeal.

Lopez’s verdict is set for February 23. The defendant can receive from 16 years to life imprisonment.

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