TAVARES, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found he murdered the owner of a store during an armed robbery in 2024.
Alex Lopez appears in court during his murder trial on Dec. 16, 2025. (Court TV)
Alex Lopez, 26, was convicted of charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm after three hours of deliberation. Police had said Lopez shot and killed Raied Shihadeh, the owner of the Fast Stop Superette (now known as M&M Food Mart) in Leesburg, Florida, on May 30, 2024, while robbing the property.
In court documents, investigators said the victim was on FaceTime with his wife when Lopez came into the store. The victim’s wife told police her husband had a “panicked look” and said “no, no” before the phone dropped to the ground.
Surveillance video reviewed by police and shown to the jury showed a masked man entering the store with an orange t-shirt, black gloves and a pink head covering before pointing the gun and opening fire. Police said the video showed Lopez open the cash register and take money, steal loose change rolls from under the counter and grab a vape product before fleeing from the scene. Lopez’s defense attorney argued the video and forensic testing did not conclusively prove that the defendant was the gunman.
Lopez was identified by officers with the Wildwood Police Department, who said they noticed his distinctive tattoos from previous run-ins with the defendant in surveillance photos from the store. Another tip called into police from a woman who wanted to remain anonymous said Lopez has ties to the notorious gang MS-13.
Lopez had been arrested previously for a number of property crimes and had a prior conviction for robbery without a weapon.
