The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:45 PM
Three Tennessee Men Charged With Murder Of Man Whose Partially Burned Body Was Found In Georgia
On March 6, 2017, agents began investigating the death of Luis Antonio Lopez, 27, of La Vergne, Tennessee. The investigation was initiated by GBI after Lopez's partially-burned body was found in a wooded area near Dalton, Georgia.
During the investigation, agents found that Lopez was murdered in Davidson County, Tenn., and TBI said three of Lopez's friends were responsible for his murder and disposal of the body. The suspects were identified as Hector Ruiz and Kevin Palacio of Antioch, Tenn., and Roberto Viera-Aybar of La Vergne.
On March 19, 2018, the Davidson County Grand Jury returned indictments that charged Ruiz, Palacio and Viera-Aybar with one count of first degree murder each. Ruiz was served in the Davidson County Jail, where he was being held on unrelated charges. His bond was set at $500,000.
TBI said Palacio and Viera-Aybar were in a Georgia jail after they were arrested on charges related to the case. Both had holds placed on them pending their extradition to Nashville.
