In the waning hours of Christmas Eve 2014, a tragic event unfolded on the streets of Washington, D.C., forever altering the lives of a family and a community. Evelyn Yamileth Arroyo Guerra, a 27-year-old Hispanic woman, was arriving for her shift as a waitress at the El Sabor Latino Restaurant in the 3900 block of 14th Street Northwest. At approximately 5:30 p.m., the festive spirit of the evening was shattered by the sound of gunshots.
Arroyo was struck by a bullet to her chest and suffered a graze wound to her head.
Metropolitan Police Department officers who were nearby heard the shots and rushed to the scene. One officer pursued a man seen fleeing the area, but lost him in a nearby wooded area. The other officer found Arroyo on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Despite immediate medical attention, she succumbed to her injuries. Witnesses at the scene quickly identified the man who had approached Arroyo moments before the shooting as her ex-boyfriend, Marvin W. Lopez.
The investigation into Arroyo's death moved swiftly. Detectives uncovered threatening Facebook messages from Lopez to Arroyo sent just days before the murder, in which he had threatened to kill her. Based on this evidence and witness statements, an arrest warrant for first-degree murder while armed was issued for Marvin W. Lopez, also known as Marvin Lopez Cabrera, on Christmas Day. However, by the time police moved to apprehend him, Lopez had vanished.
For years, Lopez remained a fugitive from justice, having fled to his native country of El Salvador. The case remained an active investigation, and authorities continued their search for him. In March 2023, after more than eight years on the run, Lopez was extradited back to the United States to finally face the charges against him. His trial took place in November 2023, and after eight days of testimony, a jury found the 44-year-old guilty of the first-degree murder of Yamalith Arroyo, as well as a related gun offense.
