67 year-old Richard Lopez of California was sentenced to twenty years in prison for a September 2022
incident at the Waikoloa Beach Marriot Resort where he stabbed his long time girlfriend with a steak knife multiple times.

On March 14, Lopez, who remained in custody for the duration of these criminal
proceedings in lieu of $1,000,000.00 bail, appeared in Kona Circuit Court for sentencing. After
reviewing the presentence investigation report and hearing arguments by the parties, Lopez was
sentenced to a twenty-year prison term for the offense of Attempted Manslaughter. The Court further
ordered that Lopez also serve a mandatory minimum of six years and eight months.
Attempted Manslaughter is a class A felony offense which carries a maximum penalty of a
twenty-year prison term.

Last December, Lopez appeared in Kona Circuit Court where he asserted
the affirmative defense of Attempted Manslaughter after entering a “Guilty” plea to the charge of
Attempted Murder in the Second Degree. The court accepted his submission that he was under the
influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance at the time of the incident.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Kaua Jackson and Kate Perazich.

HPD Photo