A father accused of murdering the father of his daughter's former boyfriend faced a judge Wednesday.
Louie Sixto Lopez is being charged with shooting and killing Reynaldo Cantu - the father of Lopez daughter's former boyfriend - in what law enforcement is calling revenge killing.
According to officials, Lopez allegedly went to Cantu's home in Newark looking for his son who used to date the suspect's daughter.
Surrounded by police, the Cantu family left the Alameda County courthouse in silence.
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“Very difficult times, of course. You can imagine it is a real tragedy and it looks to be ongoing,” said Lee Mezzetti, Cantu family’s attorney.
Cantu’s wife claimed the shooting isn’t the first time Lopez or his family has threatened them, prompting the judge to formally order Lopez, who is being held without bail to stay away from the family.
Cantu’s lawyers now must decide whether to ask the judge to extend that stay away order to other Lopez family members.
“We are looking at taking further action. We have been consulting with the district attorney’s office,” Mezzetti said.
Investigators claim Lopez blames Cantu’s son for the death of his daughter Danielle. She was hit and killed by multiple cars on highway 680 in San Jose in October.
Lopez’s family also came to court to support him.
A family spokesperson said they had no idea he allegedly planned to confront the Cantus.
“A loved one that is a victim, now is an accused. Another human being’s life is taken away. Any decent human being would feel sad. Who would want their pain to be multiplied?” said Margarete Petro with Moms Against Murder
It’s a tragedy that left two families grieving and with many now believing could have been avoided, if law enforcement had taken their original accusations more seriously and dug deeper into Danielle Lopez's Death.
“We are sympathetic for the Cantu family, but they are also here to bring justice to their loved one,” Petro said.
A plea hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13.
