NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A handyman convicted of murdering his former employer in New Jersey with a hammer, wrench and screwdriver has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
NJ.com reports that 40-year-old Nestor Lopez was sentenced Friday in Essex County. Prosecutors called it effectively a life term, noting that he must serve 42½ years before being eligible for parole.
The Bronx, New York resident was convicted of murder, evidence-tampering and weapons offenses in the November 2015 bludgeoning death of 64-year-old Charles Jeffrey in his Newark home.
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Prosecutors said the victim and his wife had fired Lopez shortly before the murder because jewelry had gone missing from their home.
Lopez asserted that he acted in self-defense, but authorities said he showered in the victim’s home, changed clothes and threw out evidence.
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Information from: NJ.com, http://www.nj.com
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