In the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 18, 2021, the life of 23-year-old Katherine 'Kathy' Montenegro of Trenton, New Jersey, was tragically cut short. The female victim was found lying in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven on Lalor Street in Hamilton Township, suffering from a gunshot wound to her abdomen. First responders rushed her to a nearby hospital, but she was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival.
The investigation into her death, led by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force,
quickly identified a suspect. Through the review of video surveillance from the area and interviews with witnesses, detectives were able to piece together the events of that fatal morning. The evidence pointed to 23-year-old Joshua Lopez of Ewing Township as the suspected shooter. Investigators established that Lopez and Montenegro were acquaintances, though the motive for the shooting was not immediately made public.
Less than a week after the incident, on Monday evening, Joshua Lopez was taken into custody in Ewing Township. The arrest was made by members of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, with assistance from several other law enforcement agencies. Lopez was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree certain persons not to possess a firearm, as he was a convicted felon. Following his arrest, the prosecutor's office filed a motion to detain him pending trial.
