Jurors find man guilty of double homicide in University Place
A man has been convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree murder for the deaths of two men shot in 2018 in the front seat of a car in University Place.
Alex Lopez Leon, 24, was convicted Friday by a jury in Pierce County Superior Court. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15. Typical prison sentences for cases such as this range from about 36 to 51 years.
Lopez Leon is one of two men tried in the case.
Javier Valenzuela Felix was with Lopez Leon during the shootings and previously pleaded guilty to the killings. In August 2019, he was sentenced to 30 years, 6 months in prison.
Lopez Leon was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the May 14, 2018 shooting deaths of 22-year-old Wilberth Lopez Alcala and 19-year-old Adrian Valencia Cuevas. Lopez Leon and Valenzuela Felix sat behind them in a white Dodge Charger after leaving a barbecue.
Charging papers say Alcala was shot first, then Cuevas was told to keep driving and then was shot.
Judge Susan Adams read the juror’s verdict, which found Lopez Leon guilty of his second charge of first-degree murder. On his first count, the jury found Lopez guilty of a lesser charge of second-degree murder.
The jury also made a special finding in the verdict which found that Lopez Leon was armed with a firearm during the killings. This can affect the duration of Lopez Leon’s prison sentence.
Lopez Leon has no prior criminal history in Pierce County, according to court records.
The motive behind the shooting of Valencia Cuevas and Lopez Alcala is still unclear. At Valenzuela Felix’s sentencing in 2019, Judge Kitty-Ann van Doorninck asked him why the men were killed. She got no answer.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
