Andrew Rick Lopez, a 61-year-old Denair resident, was recently denied parole after a hearing at San Quentin State Prison, as announced by Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero. Lopez, who opted not to attend his own parole hearing, is serving a 17 years-to-life sentence for the second-degree murder of James Turnbough in 1991, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney Facebook post.
During the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Amy Neumann represented the People and highlighted Lopez's extensive history of behavior violations in prison—a tally reaching twenty—and ongoing connections with prison gangs. Despite completing some prison programs, Lopez appears to not have fully embraced the chance to genuinely rehabilitate. "Since being in prison custody, Lopez has accrued twenty behavior violations, including a 2018 violation for fighting," said Neumann, stressing the need to maintain his incarceration. Her efforts were to effectively argue against his release, as stated by the Stanislaus County District Attorney.
Lopez's refusal to show up at the parole hearing was a point of note. This stance is part of a pattern stretching back to 1991 when he stabbed Turnbough 13 times and boasted about the act. Following a jury trial in Stanislaus County Superior Court, Lopez was found guilty and sentenced accordingly, as per the Stanislaus County District Attorney.
In 2018, Lopez was again reprimanded for fighting, indicating a pattern of violent behavior that has continued into his prison term. "Though Lopez denies current involvement, prison investigations indicate Lopez is a validated prison gang member," according to the information shared by the Stanislaus County District Attorney. These consistent behaviors were evidently enough to persuade the Board to deny his release.
