LUBBOCK, Texas — Gabriel Lopez, 41, took a plea deal on Tuesday, for the 1998 death of Jessie Ordonez who was 26. He was sentenced to 7 years in state prison for manslaughter but with more than three years of credit for time he already served in jail.
Gabriel Lopez and his brother Lee Lopez, 39, were both suspects at the time, however, a grand jury did not indict them in 2007. Investigators then looked for additional evidence and in June 2019 were able to secure an arrest warrant for the Lopez brothers.
Gabriel was then arrested in 2019 in Lubbock while Lee was arrested in Canyon County, Idaho.
In 2019, the Lubbock Police Department said that Ordonez was at a New Year’s Eve party on January 1, 1998, and had been beaten to death during a fight with the two brothers.
Ordonez died shortly after arriving at a Lubbock hospital.
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In 2019, the Ordonez family said, “We Thank God for guiding the police in their work. Thank you so much for the support, love and prayers you all have shown.”
Online jail records indicated Lee Garcia remained in custody on a manslaughter charge as of Tuesday.
