Brianna Lopez: What Happened to Poor Baby Brianna

The only photo taken os baby Brianna Lopez when she was alive

Photo: Brianna Lopez Much Loved

Brianna Lopez was a baby girl who was repeatedly physically and sexually abused by her father and uncle. She was murdered on the 9th July 2002.

The Short Life of Baby Brianna Lopez

A video telling the details of the horrific murder of Brianna Lopez

Beautiful baby Brianna Lopez was born to Stephanie Lopez and Andy Walters on the 14th February 2002 in in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Lopez (19) and Walters (21) were young parents who weren’t expecting to have a baby. When Briana was born she went to live with her mother in a caravan with a total of five adults: Brianna’s parents, her uncles Steven and Robert, and her grandmother Patricia Walters.

Brianna was born completely healthy in spite of her mother constantly abusing alcohol during her pregnancy.

Investigations after Brianna’s death revealed that she had lived for 153 days under constant abuse from her parents and uncle.

The other adults living in the caravan with Brianna couldn’t cope with the sound of her crying. When initial efforts to console the child didn’t work, Stephanie and Andy resorted to stuffing clothing in the child’s mouth.

On July 18th Stephanie left for work, leaving Brianna in the care of her partner Andy and her Uncle Steven. Steven and Andy were drinking and after a few beers their mistreatment of Brianna got out of control.

Steven and Andy began biting and hitting Briana as well as throwing her against the ceiling and dropping her on the floor. The men also sexually abused her.

Stephanie arrived home from work later that evening and noticed the injuries on the baby but instead of alerting authorities she went to sleep.

Stephanie’s family members testified that she often ignored Brianna’s crying and signs of abuse. She would often pinch and bite herself when Brianna was crying out of frustration.

During the night Stephanie was woken up by Brianna’s continual screaming and crying. She found baby Brianna lying on the floor and asked Andy and Stephen what had happened. They claimed “things had gotten a little rough last night.” Stephanie ignored the further crying went back to sleep.

The next morning Stephanie awoke to find Brianna had stopped breathing. She alerted the authorities, telling them Brianna had fallen out of a chair.

Brianna was rushed to hospital. Despite their heroic efforts the medical team were unable to save her. An autopsy revealed Brianna had suffered fractured ribs, a fractured skull, several human bites, bruises all over her body. She suffered severe damage to her optic nerves which indicated that she had been shaken violently. She was also found to have trauma and tearing of her genitals indicating she was sexually violated.

Response to the Death of Brianna Lopez

Mourners visit the grave of Brianna Lopez. Photo: Icsun News.

Police immediately arrested all of the adults living in the caravan with Brianna before her death. Upon investigation they found no photos, toys or anything that would indicate that Brianna was loved and cherished.

The public were shocked by the brutality of this case. Many beautiful floral tributes and gifts have been left at her grave. It has become one of the worst examples of child abuse in the history of New Mexico.

The Trial of Brianna Lopez’s Murderers

A trial for the murder of Brianna Lopez was held in Albuquerque, a few hours drive from Laz Cruces. The trial had to be held in a different district due to the public outrage at what had occurred.

Forensic experts testified about the horrific injures poor baby Brianna endured, claiming they were sustained over a long period, indicating this was not just one instance of abuse. Brianna was abused constantly since her birth.

District Attorney Susana Martinez, who prosecuted the family, believed that Brianna’s injuries were so brutal that the perpetrator should spend the rest of their life in prison.

In September of 2003, Stephanie Lopez, Andy Walters and Steven Lopez were convicted for negligent child abuse resulting in death.

Steven Lopez received a sentence of 57 years for intentional child abuse, conspiracy and first-degree child molestation.

Andy Walters, the baby’s father, was sentenced on the same charges as Steven and sentenced to 63 years in prison.

In Stephanie’s case, she received a sentence of 27 years for negligence and for permitting the abuse.

The other two adults who lived in the caravan were also sentenced to 5 months in jail.

Stephanie Lopez Released From Jail

Mug shot of Stephanie Lopez. Photo: Icsun News.

In 2021, Stephanie Lopez was released from jail early on account of her good behavior.

Several groups have organized to protest her release, believing anyone that could be involved in such brutal abuse of a child should never be released from prison.

If you found this story interesting you may also like to learn about the murder cases of Patricia Viola or Katarzyna Zowada.