Daniel Lopez Was at the Center of an Incredibly Brutal Murder — Where Is He Now?

One of Netflix's most popular true-crime series is I Am a Killer. It takes an unusual approach in the well-trodden genre by making the guilty parties the centerpieces. Each season interviews a handful of individuals who have been found guilty of murder and allows them to tell their side of the story. Sometimes the prisoners are defiant, still searching for a place to lay the blame. Most of the time they are contrite and wish they could turn back time.

When Candie Dominguez was sentenced to 30 years in prison in September 2019 for her participation in a murder, she told the judge she felt no remorse, only anger. According to the San Antonio News, Dominguez said, "I’m sorry he lost his life, yes, but we cannot change things." In Season 6 of the show, we hear what Dominguez has to say since she has been in prison. However, she wasn't the only person responsible for this murder. Where is Daniel Lopez now? He's deep in the heart of Texas.

In November 2018, Lopez was sentenced to life in prison for the September 2014 murder of Jose Luis Menchaca, per KSAT. His attorney, Charles Bunk, told the outlet that his client had a history of being extremely dangerous both in and outside of the prison system. "He’s made threats in the past, and perhaps there is some concerns that he might try something today," said Bunk. "I think he really has an 'I’ve got nothing to lose' attitude."

Because of this, there was beefed up security in the courtroom that day. There were two heavily-armed security guards standing on either side of Lopez as his sentence was read out loud by the judge. Lopez barely flinched upon hearing that he would be spending the rest of his life in prison. He is currently serving his time at the John B. Connally Unit in Kenedy, Texas.

Menchaca stabbed Lopez on Sept. 28, 2014, during a drug deal gone wrong, per the San Antonio Express-News. Lopez, along with his cousin Gabriel Moreno, decided to exact revenge two days later. Dominguez and Lopez were dating, but she and Menchaca were cousins, so it didn't seem suspicious when she invited him to Lopez's house. She was also with Moreno's girlfriend, Sabrina Cavazos. The two of them told Menchaca they wanted to exchange stolen Mary Kay makeup for drugs.

When Menchaca arrived at the house, he was led to the master bedroom where Lopez and Moreno attacked him with baseball bats. "He was gasping for air. He begged them for his life, but he was already going," said Cavazos while testifying during Lopez's trial. "I’m your God. I’m going to decide whether you live or die," said Lopez.

Ultimately Menchaca was strangled to death by Lopez and Moreno. The deceased man's girlfriend was also there, but she was tied up and forced to watch the whole thing. Sylvia Flores later testified that Menchaca kept going in and out of consciousness but repeatedly told her he loved her. Moreno and Lopez strangled Menchaca to death after trying to suffocate him with a pillow and a plastic bag.

With Dominguez's help, Lopez and Moreno dismembered Menchaca in the backyard. They burned his limbs in the backyard grill. Authorities later found Menchaca's head and torso in a plastic tub in the garage. The plastic bag was still holding his neck to his torso. Flores was held captive there for a few days until she convinced them to let her go home to get a change of clothes. Instead, she escaped. Lopez, Moreno, and Dominguez were arrested.