The incident that claimed Amanda Torres’ life outside an LA after party was apparently not the first for James Lopez.
James Joshua Lopez, who has been charged in the stabbing incident outside an LA after party on January 26 that led to the death of Amanda Torres, has pled not guilty today, March 3.
The news was shared by Torres’ family via the Instagram account @JusticeForMandi following today’s arraignment. According to their post, Lopez was connected to a 2021 stabbing incident that led a judge to deny his legal team’s request today to lower his bail, which was set at $2.02 million when he was arrested and charged on February 5.
“The next court date is set for April 1st, where the date of the preliminary hearing will be determined,” reads the post. “ABC 7 news was allowed to record and this will be released soon with her murder’s [sic] image.”
Eyewitnesses on the scene outside the party organized by Space Yacht, CYBER RODEO and UNDERWARE3 had previously reported that Torres’ brother was assaulted by two or three men and she was stabbed when she attempted to intervene. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate her after arriving around 1am.
A nearby business captured footage of the incident that helped the LAPD identify Lopez. In it, he can be seen approaching a small group of individuals, but the stabbing itself was cut from the version shared on social media.
What happened outside the January after party is not a totally isolated scenario in underground dance music circles. An October event hosted in partnership between techno outfits SXTCY and CLOSER was forced to evacuate when shots were fired after an incident that led to an attendee getting ejected from the venue.
James Lopez faces one count of murder including an allegation of personal use of deadly and dangerous weapon. His conviction could land him in prison for 26 years to life.
