GILROY
– A man who stabbed a fellow Hollister resident in the neck in
April will probably be sentenced to eight years in state
prison.
GILROY – A man who stabbed a fellow Hollister resident in the neck in April will probably be sentenced to eight years in state prison.
Gabriel Lopez, 38, of Hollister, pleaded guilty to attempted murder Sept. 11 in Santa Clara County court.
Judge Edward Lee is scheduled to sentence Lopez Jan. 5. The penalty is expected to be eight years in prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith, who led the prosecution against Lopez.
With this plea, Lopez acknowledged he stabbed Michael Reese, also of Hollister, in the neck on April 16 near the Bolsa Chevron gas station on Monterey Street, by U.S. 101. It wasn’t until two days later that Reese could speak to tell police who stabbed him.
Lopez told police upon his arrest that he was under the influence of methamphetamine, Valium and Vicadin at the time of the incident and couldn’t clearly remember what happened. Reese had given Lopez a ride into Gilroy that day.
Lopez told Gilroy police he had moved to Hollister from Reno, Nev., about three weeks before the stabbing, according to a police report. He said he left Reno because he was doing too many drugs there. Upon his arrest, he had on his person a pouch containing .3 grams of methamphetamine, a syringe and a metal spoon, used in the process of injecting the drug. Police charged him additionally for the possession of these items.
