Left: Alex Lopez (Lake County Jail). Right: Lopez during the armed robbery and murder of a store clerk in Leesburg, Florida (Leesburg police).
In Florida, a jury has found a 26-year-old man guilty of the murder and robbery of a store clerk, who was tragically killed while on a phone call with his wife. The incident left the wife in shock as she witnessed the horrific event unfold.
The convicted individual, Alex Lopez, was charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and additional offenses in connection with the death of 51-year-old Raied “Ray” Shihadeh. The crime took place in Leesburg, approximately 40 miles northwest of Orlando. Following the conviction, Judge Brian Welke sentenced Lopez to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
During the trial, Shihadeh’s wife delivered an emotional testimony. She recounted being on a FaceTime call with her husband on May 30, 2024, when the tragedy occurred at the M & M Food Mart. According to a report by local Fox affiliate WOFL, Monique Shihadeh heard her husband urgently saying “no, no” before the call was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot.
“I kept asking him, ‘What is happening? What’s going on?’ He never responded. He never said anything,” she recounted tearfully in court. “All of a sudden, I saw a blur pass across the screen and I screamed.”
The blur, identified as Lopez, was seen stepping over Raied Shihadeh to shoot him once more as he lay on the ground. Lopez then proceeded to steal less than $100 from the cash register, along with a vape, before making his escape.
Later, a customer entered the store, heard Monique Shihadeh’s distressed cries over the phone, and discovered the victim on the floor. The customer immediately called 911, bringing emergency services to the scene.
Cops rushed to the scene where they found Raied Shihadeh suffering from gunshot wounds to his abdomen and head. He was airlifted to a hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.
Detectives released photos to the media of the suspect and they received several tips, including from his cousin, that identified Lopez as the suspect. He spent several weeks on the run but was arrested at a hotel in Kissimmee.
Shihadeh was a father of five.
“Less than a hundred dollars is what this ruthless, wanna be thug valued over the victim’s life,” State Attorney Bill Gladson said in a statement. “While this verdict, nor any amount of money, can’t bring the victim back, we hope his family finds comfort in knowing this killer won’t walk free again.”
