LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – It took a jury less than three hours on Wednesday to decide the fate of a man who gunned down a beloved convenience store clerk for a handful of cash and a vape pen.
Alex Lopez, 26, was found guilty of First-Degree Murder and Robbery with a Firearm for the 2024 killing of 51-year-old Raied Shihadeh. Following the verdict, Judge Brian Welke immediately sentenced Lopez to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The conviction closes a case marked by particularly harrowing details, including the fact that the victim was on a video call with his wife when the attack began.
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State Attorney Bill Gladson issued a sharp rebuke of the defendant following the sentencing, highlighting the trivial motive behind the violence.
“Less than a hundred dollars is what this ruthless, wanna-be thug valued over the victim’s life,” Gladson said. “While this verdict, nor any amount of money, can’t bring the victim back, we hope his family finds comfort in knowing this killer won’t walk free again.”
A Violent Robbery Caught on Camera
The incident occurred on May 30, 2024, at the M & M Food Mart on Picciola Road in Leesburg.
When Leesburg Police officers arrived at the scene, they found Shihadeh collapsed behind the front counter suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen. Despite being airlifted to a trauma center, he succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators learned from a witness at the scene that screaming could be heard from a phone. Detectives later confirmed that Shihadeh had been on an active FaceTime call with his wife when Lopez entered the store.
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Surveillance footage recovered from the business showed a masked male storming in with a gun drawn. After shooting Shihadeh, the footage showed the assailant grabbing cash from the register and a vape product before fleeing the scene.
The Manhunt
Police released images of the shooter to the public, a move that proved critical to the investigation. Within days, multiple tips poured in identifying Lopez as the suspect.
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After a month-long search, authorities tracked Lopez to the Sunshine Inn motel in Kissimmee, where he was arrested on June 26, 2024.
Assistant State Attorneys Ken Nunnelley and Rachel Jones prosecuted the case, securing the mandatory life sentence.
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