USA - California. Judge Richard A. Erwood sentenced Elias Carmona Lopez to death

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Richard A. Erwood sentenced Elias Carmona Lopez, 30, to death. Lopez, a gang member, was sentenced to death in October by a jury after convicting him of 2 counts of 1st-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Erineo Perez, 25, and Martin Garcia, 18, on Oct. 10 and Oct. 26, 2004, respectively. Lopez was an early suspect in both killings, but there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the case until July 2008, according to the prosecution. He was serving an eight-year sentence for armed robbery at an Arizona prison when the murder case was filed against him.