FLORIDA – A federal inmate in Florida has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his cellmate.
Romeo Lopez-Hernandez, 37, of Coleman, was sentenced by United States District Judge John Antoon II on Tuesday. A federal jury found Lopez-Hernandez guilty of first-degree, premeditated murder on January 19, 2023.
According to evidence presented during the three-day trial, on February 1, 2021, Lopez-Hernandez strangled his cellmate to death using a torn bed sheet he had made with an improvised knife. After the victim lost consciousness, Lopez-Hernandez reportedly watched for guards and continued to strangle the victim until he was sure that the victim had died.
Lopez-Hernandez later confessed to the murder and bragged about it to prison personnel. At trial, however, Lopez-Hernandez changed his story and claimed the victim had committed suicide.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyrie K. Boyer and Belkis H. Crockett prosecuted it.
