Woman pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder in 17-year-old boyfriend's killing in Chanhassen
CHANHASSEN, Minn. — A woman has pleaded guilty to killing her 17-year-old boyfriend in Chanhassen in February.
Vanessa Lopez, 19, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder earlier this month, court records show. Lopez was 18 when the killing occurred.
Lopez and her boyfriend went to a movie the night of Feb. 1, 2023, then picked up a couple of friends and drove to a house in Chanhassen, a criminal complaint states. The couple had been arguing about infidelity throughout the night and both had fired a handgun out of the car window, the friends told investigators.
When they arrived at the home in Chanhassen, Lopez grabbed the gun from her boyfriend, who warned her it was loaded, the complaint said. Lopez then shot him in the face, and she later confessed she "intentionally pulled the trigger," investigators said.
The victim was discovered when police tried to pull over a speeding driver in Eden Prairie early on Feb. 2. The chase ended at Fairview Southdale Hospital, where two passengers got out and told police a boy inside the car had been shot in the head.
Lopez is set to be sentenced March 29.
Note: The video above originally aired Feb. 2, 2023.
