LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A murder trial is set to begin on Monday in Lake County for Alex Lopez, who is accused of killing a convenience store clerk last year.
The case, which shocked Central Florida, led to a month-long manhunt that ended with Lopez’s capture in Osceola County.
Raied Shihadeh, the victim, was working at M&M Food Mart in Leesburg when he was shot while on a video call with his wife last July. Surveillance footage shows the gunman entering the store and immediately shooting Shihadeh before moving around the counter to shoot again at close range.
The gunman fled the scene with less than $100, prompting a widespread search that concluded 27 days later when detectives tracked down Lopez at a motel in Kissimmee.
Shihadeh’s wife expressed her desire for justice, stating that the death penalty would be the easy way out, leading prosecutors to seek life imprisonment instead of capital punishment.
As the trial begins, the community and Shihadeh’s family hope for justice to be served, with Lopez facing life in prison if convicted.
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