A man convicted of killing two men he traveled from New York to Cape Cod with for an electronics scam was granted parole this week by the state’s parole board in a 5-2 decision.
The man, Carlos Lopez, pleaded guilty in November 1999 to second-degree murder for killing Jose Vasquez and Wilfredo Hernandez. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, and made his third appearance before the parole board in January after hearings in 2018 and 2023.
On May 9, 1998, the bodies of two men were found inside the American Holiday Motel in Yarmouth. One of the men was already dead and the other, who was in critical condition, died shortly after. Both men died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Lopez admitted to being the third person in the motel room with Vazquez and Hernandez, and told authorities he met them in New York City. There, Lopez agreed to join them on a trip to Massachusetts, where they “engaged in an electronics store scam” while staying at the Yarmouth hotel.
On the night of the men’s deaths, Lopez said, they made unwanted sexual advances toward him. He reached around and grabbed an object off the floor, hitting one man in the head. Both men fell out of the bed, and Lopez hit the other man in the head.
Lopez took money from one of the men to pay for a bus fare back to Hartford. He fled to Puerto Rico following the murders, but was arrested at the San Juan airport on July 25, 1998. He was 22 at the time of the killings.
In its decision, the board writes Lopez has “continued on his path of self-development.” He has completed programs on violence reduction and alternatives to violence. It also notes Lopez has family support to assist with his release.
Conditions of Lopez’s release include that he complete a long-term residential program for three to six months. Following that program, he will be transferred to another authority in Connecticut through an interstate compact.
He must also be supervised for drugs and undergo mental health counseling for trauma and adjustment.
