Jordan Piper is a killer from California who was convicted of the murder of his eleven year old son Roman Lopez
According to court documents Roman Lopez was reported missing by his stepmother and after a massive search the body of the eleven year old boy would be found. Roman Lopez was severely malnourished and dehydrated as well as showing more signs of long term abuse. Roman Lopez mother had died in 2021 and he was put into the care of his father Jordan Piper
Jordan Piper would be arrested, plead guilty and was sentenced to fifteen years to life
Jordan Piper is already serving a fifteen year prison sentence for sexual exploitation of a child
Jordan Piper Case
On January 4, 2024, Jordan Piper was sentenced for his role in the 2020 death of his 11-year-old son, Roman Lopez.
Jordan Piper was sentenced to the maximum possible punishment of 15 years to life in prison. He is already in prison, in federal custody, serving a 15-year prison term for charges stemming from sexual exploitation of a child unrelated to Roman’s case.
“Justice has been served for Roman,” said El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson. “Both his father and stepmother are now being held accountable for their incomprehensible cruelty, abuse and death of their child and will spend a very long time behind bars.”
Last July, Roman’s stepmother, Lindsay Piper, was convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for her role in her son’s death.
The sentencing hearing was conducted remotely via WebEx due to Jordan Piper’s incarceration in Federal Prison. At the sentencing hearing, ten victim impact statements were presented to the court by family members from around the country, who were also present on-line. Erin Rice, who was Rochelle Lopez’s best friend and served with her in the military, addressed Jordan Piper, saying, “I hope when the defendant goes to sleep every night he hears echoes of Roman screaming at the top of his lungs, in fear, in hurt, and in terrified wails much like he did the night before his death.” Rochelle Lopez was Roman’s mother. She passed away in 2021.
Rochelle’s parents, Rick and Mary Lopez, echoed the sentiments of other victims, stating, “now you get to rot in your cell knowing that you killed your only son, Roman Anthony Lopez.” According to Deputy District Attorney Jay Linden, this was one of the most emotional sentencing hearings of his 26-year career.
The case began on January 11, 2020. Following a city-wide search for 11-year-old Roman Lopez, the Placerville community was shocked by the discovery of the child’s body in a storage bin in the basement of the family’s home. Earlier in the day, Roman was reported missing by his stepmother, Lindsay Piper. Volunteers searched throughout Placerville for the boy, to no avail.
Around midnight, authorities located Roman’s lifeless body. It was determined that Roman Lopez was grossly malnourished and dehydrated.
At the autopsy, it was determined that the child’s body weighed approximately 42 pounds. Medical records found for Roman when he was 9 years old showed that he weighed 61 pounds. An exhaustive search by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Corner showed that Roman Lopez had not been taken to see a doctor since the age of 9. The investigation revealed years of abuse and mistreatment of young Roman Lopez. The boy was subjected to physical abuse, as well as being restrained by being tied and zip-tied to his bed at night.
The investigation, led by the Placerville Police Department, was a collaboration of numerous state and federal law enforcement agencies. The case was investigated by Placerville Police Department Sergeant Luke Gadow and Captain Kim Nida. Numerous other officers were tasked by Chief Joe Wren in assisting in the investigation.
The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office contributed to the investigation with countless hours of work by Investigators Jim Applegate, Ken Barber, Chief Jeff Dreher, Rhia Grotke, Rich Horn, John Robertson and Deputy District Attorney Jay Linden. The DA’s Victim Witness Program Manager Patti Harrington counseled and consoled members of Roman’s family from various parts of the country.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations contributed to the investigation in both manpower and financial assistance in the testing of physical evidence. FBI Agents Scott Schofield and Suzanna Warren were among the numerous agents who assisted in the investigation.
Dr. Sarah Avedschmidt was the pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Roman Lopez. Dr. Angela Vickers provided expert information on the abuse and torture of the child.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Nicholas Cortez was involved in the investigation of Roman’s death and provided a detailed report into Roman’s medical history and demonstrating a lack of medical treatment in recent years.
“We want to thank our law enforcement partners for their hard work and diligence on this case, and we especially appreciate the citizens of El Dorado County for their patience, trust and support as the criminal justice process was underway,” said DA Pierson.
