In the summer of 2014, a meeting arranged with the intention of a simple marijuana transaction turned deadly for a young man from Camden, New Jersey. Nhat Tran, a 22-year-old Asian male, was discovered inside his tan Nissan Sentra at the intersection of 34th Street and Rosedale Avenue in East Camden on July 26, 2014. He had been shot, and despite being rushed to Cooper University Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
His death marked the 20th homicide in the city that year.
The investigation into Tran’s death swiftly uncovered the tragic circumstances of his final moments. Detectives learned that he had made arrangements to meet with an individual to sell marijuana. However, the planned drug deal was a setup for a robbery. During the encounter, a struggle ensued inside Tran’s vehicle, and he was fatally shot. The assailant then fled with the drugs, leaving Tran to be found by authorities.
Investigators were able to trace a cell phone used to orchestrate the meeting to 19-year-old Jose A. Lopez of Pennsauken. Upon his arrest, Lopez was charged with felony murder and armed robbery. Court records later revealed that Lopez confessed to planning the robbery and to shooting Tran during the struggle. Following the murder, Lopez attempted to cover his tracks by burning his clothing, getting a new cell phone, and selling the handgun used in the crime. Video evidence presented during his arraignment showed Lopez with Tran shortly before the killing.
At the time of his arrest for Tran's murder, Lopez was already facing multiple pending criminal cases, including charges for burglary and drug distribution. A bench warrant had also been issued for his arrest due to a failure to appear in court for one of these prior cases. A judge set his bail for the murder of Nhat Tran at $1.5 million.
