Belinda Lopez / Contributed photo by the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit's District Attorney's OfficeA Dalton, Georgia, woman was convicted of murder for shooting her husband in the head while he was driving her and another person home from a nightclub in Chattanooga.
A Catoosa County jury convicted 43-year-old Belinda Lopez on Thursday of one count of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The jury deliberated for less than three hours, according to a written statement from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.
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The murder happened after an argument in the early hours of March 1, 2020, on Interstate 75, the release stated. Lopez first attacked her husband, Noel, by scratching his face and upper body and then by striking him above the right eye with a gun. She then fired a single shot that went through Noel Lopez's skull and exited the vehicle, the release stated.
The vehicle came to rest in the middle southbound lane of I-75, just south of Exit 345 in Ringgold. At about 2:55 a.m., Belinda Lopez called 911 after putting the gun in the vehicle's center console and attempting to move her husband's body "in an attempt to flee the scene," the release stated.
A sheriff's office statement released at the time of the killing said there were three people in the car and that they had been drinking for several hours. The release also said the married couple was fighting in the front seat while Noel Lopez drove.
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Evidence presented at the trial showed Belinda Lopez had a long history of domestic assault against her husband, and would frequently leave visible scratches on his face. At the trial, a Georgia State Patrol trooper testified that the trooper had encountered the couple on I-75 a year prior to the shooting - and noticed fresh and healing injuries to Noel Lopez's face.
A representative for Noel Lopez's family released the following statement through the DA's office: "We lost our brother, son, uncle and friend. Noel was full of life and did not deserve to go in such an abrupt and heinous way. Noel was a young man who radiated a desire to live, to improve day by day but without missing the opportunity to offer help to whoever asked for it.
"We believe that the judicial result obtained last week brings the justice that Noel deserved while offering some closure to all those who loved him and have suffered his loss. Our family will continue to mourn Noel's loss but hold the beautiful memories created with him close to our hearts. His life will forever live in our memories."
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In the release, Chris Arnt, the district attorney, pointed out hundreds of hours of work put in by the sheriff's department and the DA's office.
"We are pleased with the verdict and that Noel's and his family have received justice in this case and his murderer has been held accountable for her heinous actions," Arnt wrote.
- Compiled by Andrew Wilkins