Crystal Houston Calderella Murder Case: Where is Ramon Lopez Today?

Crystal Houston Calderella Murder

Crystal Houston Calderella Murder: Where is Ramon Lopez Now? – In Socorro, New Mexico, on April 15, 2001, 24-year-old Crystal Lee Houston was discovered dead in her mobile home. This was only 14 months after Stephanie Houston’s murder. She was discovered on the ground, lying on her back, with her underwear and sweatpants pulled down around her thighs, and her sweatshirt pulled up over her face. Crystal had been brutally beaten, suffering from contusions and abrasions on both of her legs in addition to blunt force trauma to the back of her skull. Her neck was heavily scarred.

An investigator recognized Lopez as a man wanted in connection with Crystal’s murder when the incident was shown on TV a few weeks after the murder. A short time afterward, Lopez was apprehended by police for Crystal’s murder.

The gruesome murder of Crystal is detailed in the Investigation Discovery episode “Murder Comes to Town: Tragedy Comes in Pairs,” which also demonstrates how the police investigation led to the conviction of the culprit.

We have information for you if you are interested in this case and want to know where Crystal’s Killer is right now.

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Crystal Houston Calderella

Who was Crystal Houston Calderella and How Did She Die?

When Crystal Houston Calderella passed away, she was only 24 years old. The mother of one was an enthusiastic and generous person who never hesitated to provide a helping hand, according to those who knew her. She was also quite friendly and usually gave warm greetings to people. Additionally, the show referred to Crystal’s lofty aspirations for the future, which were destroyed when a dreadful disaster took her life.

Before investigators found Crystal’s remains on April 15, 2001, she had been missing for a number of days. When she was discovered inside her mobile home, the police immediately suspected that she had been murdered. At first glance, the victim appeared to have been brutally assaulted because of the numerous wounds all over her body and the marks on her neck.

Detectives also believed Crystal had been sexually abused because she was undressed, her sweatshirt pulled over her head, and her underwear and sweatpants wrapped around her thighs. It’s interesting to note that the initial postmortem, despite confirming rape, was unable to establish the cause of death. Later, a second examination confirmed that Crystal was killed by strangulation.

Who Killed Crystal Houston Calderella
Ramon Lopez

Who Killed Crystal Houston Calderella and Why?

Unfortunately, because there were no witnesses and few leads, the initial inquiry into Crystal’s murder proceeded somewhat slowly. They started searching the neighbourhood around Crystal’s mobile home for witnesses, even interviewing some of the victim’s friends, but to no effect. People who knew Crystal did not understand why someone would harm her, and authorities were left in a bind without any obvious possibilities.

It’s interesting that authorities did obtain foreign DNA samples from the victim’s clothes, but nothing happened. As a result, the lawsuit made little to no progress for months, despite the fact that Crystal’s family never gave up seeking the justice they were due. Finally, according to the show, a witness came forward and said that a man named Greg Romero had seen Ramon Lopez choke and kill Crystal. This seemed to be a big breakthrough for the police.

Since Lopez was a repeat offender, the police saw this as a promising lead and had a decent sense of who their suspect was. A few months after Crystal’s murder, Lopez was detained by the police after being identified as a suspect in a Target store theft. As a result of his arrest, Lopez’s image appeared on numerous news outlets, and as luck would have it, a detective investigating Crystal’s murder identified Lopez as their suspect.

As a result, after gathering sufficient evidence to support an arrest, authorities apprehended Lopez and accused him of murder.

Ramon Lopez

What Happened to Ramon Lopez and Where Is He Now?

Ramon Lopez appeared in court and was prosecuted for kidnapping, rape, criminal murder, taking a car without consent, and destroying evidence.
Lopez, 31, was found guilty in July 2006 of felony murder, rape, kidnapping, auto theft, and evidence tampering. Later, he was given a life sentence without the possibility of release.

He received a life sentence for the murder of Crystal, as well as an additional 19.5 years in prison for a second-degree murder conviction and an auto theft charge. In addition, each of the five charges for Crystal’s murder received an eight-year extension due to his history of criminal behaviour.

Crystal’s murder was not the Houston family’s first child loss, which is tragic. The death of their other daughter, 28-year-old Stephanie Houston, in a car accident occurred just over a year earlier. Her parents were among those who believed her boyfriend, Patrick Murrillo, intentionally ran her over. When the case was revived in 2004, he denied this, and a jury found him not guilty of the allegation of vehicular murder.

Intriguingly, the programme claims that Ramon Lopez was successful in having his sentence reduced to just 15 years in 2012 and was eventually freed on parole in 2015. The Investigation Discovery show, however, claimed that shortly after Lopez’s release, the authorities locked him up once more in connection with a different domestic violence case. He appears to be absent from prison records at the moment, but his parolee status ensures that he is still a resident of New Mexico.

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