Murder Defendant Accepts Plea Deal

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A murder defendant accepted a plea deal from prosecutors before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz during a June 27 hearing.

Eliexander Lopez-Burgos, 24, was originally charged with premeditated first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his involvement in the fatal shooting of Carlos Blanco Fernandez, 38, on the 2200 block of New York Ave, NE, on Nov 16. 2023.

During the hearing, Lopez-Burgos accepted a plea deal, which required him to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and carrying a pistol without a license in exchange for the dismissal of all other charges. Through the deal, parties agreed to a sentencing range of four-to-six years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

According to the prosecution, had the case gone to trial, witness accounts and surveillance evidence would have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he fatally shot Fernandez from his vehicle. His actions were in retaliation for an altercation two days earlier in which Lopez-Burgos was shot in the leg in a McDonald’s parking lot.

Lopez-Burgos will be held without bond pending sentencing on Sept. 12.