Bond set for Princeton murder suspect
Jun. 25—princeton — Stealing a laptop computer was the motive behind a June 8 shooting which killed a Princeton man and later led to the arrest of two suspects who appeared Monday in Mercer County Circuit Court, according to the investigating officer.
Carlos Lee Manuel Lopez, 18, of Princeton was arraigned Monday before Circuit Court Judge Mark Wills on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Shaileshbhai "Sam" Patel. Patel was found about 1 a.m. June 8 when members of the Princeton Police Department responded to a report about a gunshot victim on Kee Street, Detective S.M. Severt of the Princeton Police Department said in a criminal complaint.
Patel was deceased upon arrival, Severt said.
During the investigation, officers were able to obtain surveillance footage of two suspects in the area when the shooting occurred, Severt said in the complaint. Officers also obtained an anonymous tip advising the "CJ" Carlos Lopez and a juvenile had purchased a firearm and planned to rob Patel of his laptop computer.
Officers obtained more surveillance videos from Courthouse Plaza at East Main Street in Princeton that showed two males leaving a home there prior to the murder and returning there after the murder, Severt said.
"Officers were able to match the clothing worn by the suspects from the surveillance gathered by neighboring households near the crime scene to the video surveillance from Courthouse Plaza," he said.
A search warrant was obtained for the East Main Street home. When a search was made, officers found clothing the suspects wore on the day of the murder, Severt said.
After their arrest, Lopez and the juvenile were read their Miranda Rights, Severt said in his report. Both waived their rights and provided video and audio recorded statements.
Both Lopez and the juvenile said they were in the area of 417 Kee Street on June 8. The juvenile said that he and Lopez went out with the intention to "find money" or steal something to trade for money, Severt said in his report. The juvenile also said that Lopez had a 9-mm Taurus pistol on his person. Officers were able to recover the pistol.
The juvenile told police that he and Lopez approached Patel's home and made contact with him. Then the juvenile said he grabbed the laptop from Patel and Lopez shot him once, Severt said. Both then fled the scene.
Lopez was arraigned Monday afternoon before Judge Wills. Wills set a $750,000 cash or surety bond.
"That's what I requested and that's what he granted," said Prosecuting Attorney Brian Cochran.
Cochran said he told the judge that Lopez involved a juvenile in a plan to steal Patel's laptop computer and how it resulted in "cold-blooded murder."
Attorney David Kelley was appointed to represent Lopez.
Lopez is being held at the Southern Regional Jail. The juvenile was remanded to the Gene Spadaro Juvenile Detention Center.
Contact Greg Jordan at
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
