In the summer of 2022, the life of 37-year-old Hispanic male Melvin A. Lopez was tragically cut short on June 24th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A beloved father to two daughters, he was known for his passion for fast cars and motorcycles and his involvement with the Heavy Hitters Athletic Facility. His sudden and violent death left his family and community in mourning.
On that Friday, at approximately 11:18 a.m., Lopez and another man, 28-year-old Giovanni E.
Hernández, were fatally shot in an alley in the 3700 block of West Roberts Street. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds to their heads, and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the incident a double homicide. Investigators later determined that Lopez was the victim of an armed bikejacking, and his Suzuki GXS-R motorcycle was stolen during the fatal encounter. The motorcycle was later recovered by police.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to identify a suspect through a combination of surveillance footage and cellphone records. Surveillance video from near the scene captured a Toyota minivan, driven by Hernández, being followed by a white Acura into a dead-end street shortly before the killings. This same minivan was found fully engulfed in flames a little over half a mile away, an act later determined to be arson.
Cellphone data connected 32-year-old Randy Moore to the crime. Records showed numerous calls and texts between Hernández and Moore in the hours leading up to the shooting. Furthermore, location data from Moore's phone placed him at the homicide scene around the time of the murders and then near the location of the vehicle fire. Based on this evidence, prosecutors charged Moore in connection with the deaths of both Melvin Lopez and Giovanni Hernandez, as well as for arson. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
