LOPEZ, Pedro "Pete"

1894 - 1917  (~ 23 years)

• Name	LOPEZ, Pedro "Pete"
  Nickname	Pete
  Birth	Abt. 1894	California
  Gender	Male
  Census	20 Jun 1900	Santa Barbara County, California   [1]
  	With parents, siblings and maternal uncles
  Death	29 Apr 1917	Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, California   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  	Cause: Gunshot to the head
  	DEPUTY CONSTABLE G.A. WILSON SHOT PEDRO LOPEZ IN THE HEAD WHILE RESISTING ARREST FOR DISTURBING THE PEACE; PEDRO LOPEZ DIED: - LAWSUITS FOLLOWED: -- DEPUTY CONSTABLE G.A. WILSON CHARGED WITH MURDER: Jury found him guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to 10 years in the penitentiary. -- MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL FILED: Denied -- CASE APPEALED TO SUPERIOR COURT OF SANTA BARBARA: Denied new hearing, April 15, 1918, PEOPLE v WILSON The Pacific Reporter, Volume 172, page 1117 https://books.google.com/books?id=58CZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1117&dq=G.+A.+Wilson+Pedro+Lopez&hl=en&sa=X&ei=0rypVJ3RF8q1oQSFpYGQDQ&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=G.%20A.%20Wilson%20Pedro%20Lopez&f=false
  Burial	Abt. 1 May 1917	Santa Barbara County, California
  Person ID	I16874	1. Schwald - WA-NY-OR-TX
  Last Modified	4 Jan 2015

  
  

  Father	LOPEZ, Victoriano,   b. Mar 1851, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California d. 11 Dec 1923, Santa Barbara County, California (Age ~ 72 years)
  Mother	ROBLES, Elvira,   b. 10 Aug 1867, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California d. 03 Jan 1941, Santa Barbara County, California (Age 73 years)
  Family ID	F4970	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - Abt. 1894 - California Census - With parents, siblings and maternal uncles - 20 Jun 1900 - Santa Barbara County, California Death - Cause: Gunshot to the head - 29 Apr 1917 - Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, California Burial - Abt. 1 May 1917 - Santa Barbara County, California  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S173] CENSUS 1900 - U.S. Federal, (ancestry.com), 20 Jun 1900, page 23 of 37 (Sheet 133A). 1900 CENSUS - Township 4, Santa Barbara, California NAME - RELATION - DOB - AGE - MARRIED/SINGLE - #YRS MARRIED - MOTHER OF #CHILDREN/#CHILDREN LIVING - PLACE OF BIRTH - OCCUPATION Victor Lopez - Head - 1848 - 52 - M - 17 - ___ - California - Farmer Elvira Lopez - Wife - 1864 - 36 - M - 17 - 12/6 - California Adolpho Lopez - Son - 1884 - 16 - S - ___ - ___ - California - At School Thomasina Lopez - Daughter - 1889 - 11 - S - ___ - ___ - California - At School Jose Lopez - Son - 1892 - 8 - S - ___ - ___ - California - At School Pedro Lopez - Son - 1894 - 6 - S - ___ - ___ - California - At School Benjamin Lopez - Son - 1896 - 4 - S - ___ - ___ - California Aneva Lopez - Son - 1898 - 2 - S - ___ - ___ - California Guadalaupe Robles - Brother-in-Law - 1881 - 19 - S - ___ - ___ - California - Farm Laborer Nicholas Robles - Brother-in-Law - 1867 - 33 - Wd - ___ - ___ - California - Farm Laborer [S295] Archives - www California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC), (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc), 4 May 1917, http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19170504.2.10. Lompoc Journal, Volume 28, Number 51, 4 May 1917 Attorney Frick To Defend Wilson, Alleged Murderer Deputy Constable G. A. Wilson, of Santa Ynez, shot and killed Pedro Lopez Sunday afternoon while the latter was resisting arrest. A coroner's jury was held Monday and on its verdict, charging Wilson with the killing of Lopez, a warrant was issued by the district attorney charging him with murder. Milo Decker, a resident of Santa Ynez, and a friend of the murdered man?s family, swore to the complaint issued in the presence of the father of the dead man. Immediately upon his incarceration Wilson engaged Attorney J. F. Frick to defend him in the legal battle which is to ensue. Wilson contends that his revolver was discharged accidently while he was using it as a club on the head of Lopez while attempting to quell a drunken riot in which Lopez and other. Mexicans were engaged. The accused man is a prominent business leader in his home town and is the superintendent of the College ranch. Lopez recently served a 100 day sentance for disturbing the peace. [S295] Archives - www California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC), (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc), 11 May 1917, http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19170511.2.3. Lompoc Journal, Volume 28, Number 52, 11 May 1917 WILSON HELD FOR MURDER - The Santa Ynez Case Preliminary Takes Place Before Justice Wheaton. The preliminary examination of George A, Wilson on the charge of murder for the alleged killing of Pedro Lopez in Santa Ynez on the evening of April 29, was held in Justice Wheaton?s court in Santa Barbara Monday, consuming most of the. day. In this case the People were represented by Assistant District Attorney Fred H. Schauer, with whom G. H. Gould was associated in the prosecution. John J. Squier and J. F. Frick were the attorneys for the defense. Throughout the hearing the small court room was filled with people who had taken an interest in the case as reported in the newspapers, a goodly proportion of the spectators being citizens of Santa Ynez, who had come from over the mountains as witnesses - or spectators. These witnesses included the following: For the prosecution?W. L. Judkins, Dr. George Luton, Hiram Stark, John Torrence, William Anderson, M. L. Decker. John Henderson, and 'for the defense ?Harvey Stoneberger and Frank Knight. " At the conclusion of the tstimony the question of admitting the defendant to hail was argued and submitted to the court, the prosecution having asked that the defendant be held to answer to the superior court on the charge of murder and without bail, and the defense asking that the prisoner either be discharged or held for an offense less than murder. The court held the defendant on the charge of murder, but admitted him to bail, in the sum of $5,000. Santa Barbara Press. [S295] Archives - www California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC), (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc), 18 May 1917, http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19170518.2.15. Lompoc Journal, Volume 28, Number 53, 18 May 1917 A Correction We, as brothers of Pedro Lopez, who was murdered Sunday, April 29 at Santa Ynez by G. A. Wilson, wish to state that the article issued in the Lompoc Journal May 4 was an error as the murdered man was never in jail at any time, and as for the murderer, G. A. Wilson is by no means a business leader in Santa Ynez and far from being prominent in the eyes of 99 per cent, of the people of the whole Santa Ynez valley. (Signed) Adrulfo Lopez. Aniolar Lopez. Joe Lopez. Ramon Lopez. Santa Ynez, Cal., May 16, 1917. [S295] Archives - www California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC), (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc), 13 Jul 1917, http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19170713.2.35. Lompoc Journal, Volume 29, Number 9, 13 July 1917 SANTA YNEZ OFFENDERS RELEASED BY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S ORDERS Three eye witnesses of the shooting in which, it is charged, G. A. Wilson shot Pedro Lopez are at large again each having paid $5O bail after being held in jail for several days because the bails at first demanded were greater than the men could secure. The release of the men was secured after five o?clock Thursday on writs of habeas corpus secured by the district attorney?s office. The men are Frank Flores, Chico Espinosa and Joaquin Pena. The latter is charged with disturbing the peace and the two former with resisting an officer. Their bail was fixed at $l5OO cash or $3OOO bond and Pena?s at $lOOO bond or $250 cash. Efforts were made to have the men arrested on warrants from the district attorney?s office but Mr. E. W. Squire refused as all three of the accused men are witness for the People in the Wilson trial, contending that the arrest of these men would weaken his case. The wanted warrants however were issued by F. A. Mann, local justice of the peace, upon the filing of the proper complaints. Constable W. S. Bland and Officer Stevens went to Santa Ynez to make the arrest taking their prisoners to the county jail at Santa Barbara. [S295] Archives - www California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC), (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc), 27 Jul 1917, http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19170727.2.53. Lompoc Journal, Volume 29, Number 11, 27 July 1917 WILSON. GIVEN SENTENCE OF TEN YEARS A tearful plea by G. A. Wilson and the earnest support of his attorney, J. F. Frick, failed to save the former duputy constable of the Santa Ynez township from the maximum penalty for the crime of which he was found guilty by a jury in the superior court. Judge Crow passed judgment of ten years? imprisonment in Folsom penitentiary, after de nying a motion for a new trial on the ground that thel jury had been unduly influenced. A motion for a stay of judgment until the appeal could be perfected was likewise denied. So also was a petition for a certificate of probable cause. Wilson in his statement to the court, said he was being persecuted by certain people of Santa Ynez because he raided ?blind pigs,? and that the same interests had hired special prosecutors. He also spoke of his past good record, and denied that he was guilty of ymanslaughter in shooting Pedro Lopez. To establish the allegation that jurors had been unduly friendly with certain principal witnesses against Wilson, Attorney Frick sought to prove that H. W. Gordon and A._ C. Gates, while sitting with the jury, had taken Judge Brant, Constable Gott and E. Fitzgerald in their automobiles, these three being prominent with the prosecution of the case. Juror Gordon was called to the stand and stated that while he had given some of te witnesses a ride he had not discussed the case, with them. Mr. Gates was out of the city. An appeal from the penalty will be taken by Attorney J. F. Frick. [S295] Archives - www California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC), (http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc), 5 Apr 1918, http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LJ19180405.2.12. Lompoc Journal, Volume XXIX, Number 47, 5 April 1918 PETITIONS FOR NEW TRIAL FOR SANTA YNEZ OFFICER The appeal of G. A. Wilson, held in the county jail on a charge of killing Pedro Lopez at Santa Ynez last April has been denied by the district appellate court at Los Angeles, according to notie received by his attorney, J. F. Frick. Attorney Frick will petition for a re-hearing and if denied will carry the action into the supreme court.