PLACERVILLE, Calif. — The stepmother of Roman Lopez, whose murder she has been charged with, has changed her plea from not guilty to no contest during a hearing on Monday, the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office told ABC10.
Father Jordan Piper, 36, and stepmother Lindsey Piper, 38, face murder and child abuse charges in the death of the Lopez, whose body was found in January 2020 in the basement of their home.
Lindsey Piper, who initially plead not guilty to second-degree murder charges, has changed her plea to no contest. She is now set to be sentenced on July 8 following her new plea, through she has not yet made a deal with the court.
Jordan Piper, who has maintained his not guilty plea, is awaiting his next preliminary hearing on July 24.
Lopez was just 11-years-old when he was found dead in the Pipers' basement.
He was reported missing in January 2020 just two months after he, his father, his stepmother and their seven other children moved into the Placerville home.
Placerville police initially investigated the case as a suspicious death following a search of the family's home where police did not find anything. However after a second search, police found the child's body in a storage bin hidden in their basement.
An autopsy following Lopez's death revealed he had been severely starved and dehydrated at the time of death.
Jordan and Lindsey Piper were arrested and charged with multiple criminal charges including child abuse, poisoning, torture and over a year later, murder.
The hearings for this case are still ongoing.
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