A Plymouth County man convicted of beating his 72-year-old mother to death

A Plymouth County man has been convicted of beating his mother to death with a fireplace log, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.

Tuesday, after a 12- day trial, a jury deliberated 2 1/2 hours before finding 39-year-old Danny J. Lopes Jr. of West Bridgewater guilty of one count of First-Degree Murder under premeditation and extreme cruelty. Lopes is scheduled to be sentenced on March 1 in Plymouth Superior Court.

On August 27, 2017, just before 6:00 p.m., West Bridgewater Police received information that an elderly female had been murdered in a home at 93 Columbus Avenue. Upon arrival at that address, police located a female victim with obvious signs of trauma. The victim, who was identified as 72-year-old Julia Fernandes, was pronounced dead on scene by emergency medical personnel.

West Bridgewater Police contacted Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office to begin the investigation. Massachusetts State Police and West Bridgewater Police obtained a search warrant for the home and an arrest warrant issued for Lopes, the victim’s son. In addition, a BOLO alert issued for Lopes and the vehicle he was traveling in. The investigation led State Police and West Bridgewater Police to Brockton and North Providence, R.I., where Lopes was placed under arrest.

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was blunt force head trauma, and the manner was homicide.

The victim, Fernandes, was found bludgeoned to death about the head, and jurors heard testimony at trial that investigators located a fireplace log at the scene, and that Lopes used the log to beat his mother.

Lopes was found guilty of one count of Intimidation. of a Witness for sending a threatening letter from the Plymouth County Correctional Facility to a witness who testified before Grand Jury.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexander Zane and was investigated by Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and West Bridgewater Police.