Judge: Too much gun violence in Allentown
Man sentenced for killing woman during street fight
Saying he wanted to send a message to the community that there are “consequences” for gun violence, a Lehigh County judge on Thursday sentenced an Allentown man to 18-40 years in a state prison for shooting a drug dealer during a street fight in the city.
Under state sentencing guidelines, Isaiah C. Lopez, 21, could have received as few as 7 ½ years behind bars for the July 12, 2019, death of 33-yearold Lauren Gonzalez.
Judge Douglas G. Reichley said it didn’t matter that Gonzalez was selling drugs when she was killed.
“There is too much gun violence in Allentown,” Reichley told Lopez. “I have determined that if a person is convicted before me, I have to convey to the community and the persons involved that there will be consequences. ... There is no difference if the victim is not of pristine quality.”
Lopez pleaded guilty last month to third-degree murder. He wept in court Thursday.
“I would like to say I’m sorry to the Gonzalez family. I know it wasn’t right. I made a horrible decision, and if I could take it back I would,” he said.
The shooting happened during a fracas in the 400 block of North Church Street, behind St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Allentown. First Assistant District Attorney Steven Luksa said Gonzalez and her boyfriend, Justin Trinidad, 26, were using a nearby home to sell drugs, and confronted a group of people who were having a prolonged and noisy argument outside, saying the ruckus was hurting her business.
As the argument intensified, Gonzalez hit Lopez with a bottle and was heard telling her
boyfriend to get his gun. Lopez went to his car and returned with a handgun, firing a shot that hit Gonzalez, killing her instantly.
Lopez’s brother, Jasaiah, 20, was also involved in the fight. He pleaded guilty Sept. 3 to aggravated assault for shooting Gonzalez’s boyfriend in the leg during the battle, and is awaiting sentencing.
Several family members testified in Lopez’s defense, saying the shooting was out of character for the father of one.
Lopez fled after the shooting and discarded the murder weapon in a sewer. He later turned himself. His attorney, James A. Katz Jr., reminded the judge that Gonzalez was “the aggressor” in the fight, and said his client “panicked” after shooting her.
“He’s certainly sorry for what happened,” Katz said. “He changed the victim’s and her family’s lives, and he changed his own family’s life.”