Family brawl erupts outside courthouse
STAMFORD — A quiet court hearing ended in a brawl between family members outside the Hoyt Street building Thursday morning.
Judicial marshals ran out of the courthouse to end a chaotic scene after a physical altercation erupted between family and friends of Hector Lopez and Iris Lopez, who died in November from a “massive” brain bleed.
Hector Lopez appeared briefly in court, but did not enter a plea to the charge of negligent cruelty to persons. During the short hearing, Lopez’s request for a public defender was denied because he earns more than the limit for a free attorney.
Lopez and his mother, Mercedes Collazo Martinez, who pleaded not guilty to the same charge earlier this week, have been accused of not calling for medical help in time to prevent Iris Lopez’s death.
Iris Lopez supporters, almost all women, sat in the courtroom Thursday, wearing white shirts with an image of the 36-year-old woman in front of a sky background and the words “R.I.P. Iris” and “1982-2018” written on them.
Iris Lopez had 30 to 40 bruises on her body and was diagnosed with a “massive” brain bleed caused by a traumatic injury to the side of her head when she was brought to Stamford Hospital in November. She died about 12 hours later in the Intensive Care Unit.
An autopsy was unable to determine the cause and manner of her death, but Iris Lopez’s sister, Irene Serrano, believes Hector should be held more accountable.
“We would like to see additional charges,” she said. “He needs to accept responsibility for his part.”
According to court documents, Hector Lopez had a record of domestic violence convictions from 2000 to 2016 for charges including assault, breach of peace, criminal mischief, violation of judges’ protective orders, violation of probation, stalking, threatening, creating a public disturbance and interfering with police.
He served multiple prison terms, one for as long as a year, and in some cases, received suspended sentences, according to his court record.
“My sister’s husband’s family are obviously defending him,” Serrano said. “I don’t know what they have to defend. That’s where all the tension is coming from.”
Ingrid Vasquez, whose children are related to Hector Lopez’s family, called Iris a “very special person.”
“She was the sweetest, kindest, most loving person,” she said.