East High shooting defendant sentenced to 70 years in prison

A leader of the fatal drive-by shooting at Des Moines East High School was sentenced Thursday to 70 years in prison with the possibility of parole.

Octavio Lopez Sanchez Jr., 18, pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and two counts of willful injury.

In the March 7, 2022, shooting, Jose Lopez, 15, was killed, and Kemery Ortega and Jessica Lopez Torres were critically injured. They were part of a group of teens congregating outside the school when multiple gunshots were fired toward them from three vehicles driving past.  

Police alleged that during the incident, Mr. Lopez Sanchez had driven the lead car, a silver Mercedes sedan, had passed a revolver to a passenger in the back seat, and had instructed him to shoot. Police later found three guns used in the shooting in his bedroom.

Polk County District Judge Celene Gogerty sentenced Mr. Lopez Sanchez to consecutive sentences for a total of 70 years. She declined the prosecution’s recommendation to impose a mandatory minimum prison sentence.

Mr. Lopez Sanchez was 17 at the time of the shooting, so a judge has the authority to depart from the mandatory minimum prison sentence of 45 years under Iowa law.

Assistant Polk County Attorney Jim Hathaway agreed that mandatory minimum sentences for juveniles should be the exception, but it fits the severity of this crime. “The defendant quite literally led the attack.”

Testimony in Thursday’s hearing included psychologists who had evaluated Lopez Sanchez’s maturity, history of violence, potential for rehabilitation, motivation to change, and other factors. The judge said she gave more weight to the prosecution expert’s evaluation that found few mitigating circumstances for the judge to consider.

Nevertheless, Judge Gogerty said “the mandatory minimum is not applied as a general rule” and found that this case did not warrant a minimum sentence.

The defendant must also pay $150,000 restitution to the estate of Jose Lopez.

The survivors of the shooting asked the judge to impose a long sentence.

The mother of Jose Lopez, Deborha Perez, said: “I know people talk about forgiveness and supposedly that is what good-hearted people do to be at peace with themselves, but my pain is deep, unable to process forgiving the ones who took my child away.”

Jessica Lopez Torres, who was shot, said she saw no remorse on the part of the defendant. “I hate that I have to go through another surgery this summer because of the actions of you and your friends,” she told him. “It hurts me to see you alive while I am walking like I am crippled.”

Of the 10 teens charged in the shooting, three pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, and four pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Here is a summary of the dispositions: 

• Nyang Mai Chamdual, 16, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 18, 2025, after he turns 18. 
• Romeo Perdomo, 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime. 
• Alex Perdomo, 16, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and will be sentenced Oct. 17, 2024, when he turns 18. 
• Daniel Hernandez, 19, was sentenced to 60 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and two counts of willful injury causing a serious injury. He was a juvenile at the time of the shooting.
• Henry David Valladares Amaya, 19, was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of willful injury causing serious injury. He was a juvenile at the time of the shooting.
• Manuel De Jesus Buezo, 18, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of willful injury causing serious injury. He was a juvenile at the time of the shooting.
• Braulio Damien Hernandez-Salas, 18, pleaded guilty to two charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
• Kevin Isidro Martinez, 17, pleaded guilty to two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.   
• Gumaro Marquez-Jacobo, 19, was sentenced to a four-year suspended sentence. He had pleaded guilty to one count of accessory after the fact, one count of person ineligible to carry a dangerous weapon, and one count of providing a pistol or revolver to a person under 21.  

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant Polk County Attorneys Tom Miller, Olu Salami, and Jim Hathaway, with the legal assistance of Kelsey Hannam.  The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department and was led by detectives Ryan Garrett and Pete Wilson.