True Stories of Torture & Murder
Brianna Mariah Lopez a.k.a “Baby Brianna” (February 14, 2002 – July 19, 2002)
Brianna Mariah Lopez also known as “Baby Brianna” was born in New
Mexico on Valentines Day, 2002 to Stephanie Lopez and Andy Walters. She
would have been turning 11-years-old this year but sadly, she never made
it.
When Baby Brianna left the hospital after her birth she was moved
into a home in Las Cruces, N.M. shared by her parents and Uncle, Steven
Lopez. The abuse started almost immediately, Brianna was tormented both
verbally and physically on a daily basis. She was slapped, kicked,
punched, pinched, thrown, raped, etc. you name it, this infant endured
it.
Mugshot photos of Brianna’s parents, Andrew “Andy” Walters and Stephanie Lopez
Mugshot photo of Steven Lopez
When Brianna would cry at the pain that was inflicted on her, her
abusers would laugh and stuff her mouth with clothing to muffle her
screams. Stephanie Lopez would bite and pinch her when she got
frustrated by the crying. Medical examiners would later report the marks
as being both old and new which proved prolong abuse. She also
had bleeding on the brain both old and new, broken ribs, broken legs and
arms, lacerations to her fingers, vagina and anus. She had been
tortured her entire life.
Photo of Baby Brianna’s little hand and fingers
Photos of Baby Brianna taken right before her autopsy. Notice the bite marks on her head and back.
On the night of July 18th, 2002 Andy went out to purchase beer and
when he came home they all proceeded to get drunk. Stephanie claimed to
have had only a few beers before heading to bed in the same room the
others were in. During this time both Andy and Steven decided to play
their own sick, demented game where they would toss Brianna up in the
air, let her hit the ceiling and watch her tumble to the ground. They
would later tell authorities that Brianna was screaming and wailing when
this was happening.
Early the next morning on July 19, 2002 at approximately 7:15a.m.
Stephanie awoke to Brianna crying and noticed fresh bruises on Brianna
and asked the others what happened. They told her that they may have
been “a little to rough with her last night”. Stephanie noticed Brianna
needed a diaper change and Andy volunteered to do it. During the diaper
change, he wrapped a baby wipe around his finger and inserted it into
Brianna’s anus. He also sodomized her with foreign objects.
Stephanie noticed Brianna near death but waited several hours before
calling police and when she did find the time to call them, she lied and
told them her daughter had fallen from her high chair. Apparently she
was delusional enough to think authorities would by that story.
Brianna was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead at 11:10am. She was just 5 months and 5 days old.
Left: Large bite mark on Brianna’s arm Right: More photos showing the abuse this precious baby endured
The first officer to see baby Brianna in the hospital was Detective
Lindell Wright. He remembers one thought going through his mind:
“I’ve got a lot to do.”
“Literally bruised from head to toe, from the top of her head all
throughout her body all the way to the big toe on her right foot.” said District Attorney Susana Martinez who prosecuted the case.
They took sadistic joy out of torturing Brianna. Not one family
member cared about her, not one of them attempted to protect her. She
was there for their own sadistic amusement.
When authorities searched the home they couldn’t find one toy or even
a photo of Brianna laughing or smiling. No evidence to indicate she
enjoyed one moment of her life.
Many relatives including Brianna’s grandparents knew the abuse was
going on and did nothing to stop it nor did they attempt to report what
was going on. They knew she was being raped anally and vaginally by both
her father and uncle, they knew she had pinch marks on her from head to
toe in different stages of healing from her mother but they turned a
blind eye and let it continue for five, going on six more months until
baby Brianna’s little body couldn’t handle the abuse any longer.
Officer Wright has seen alot during his career but Brianna’s case will haunt him for life.
“I cried my eyes out. It will stay with me for the rest of my life. It tests you to the point you’re not sure you can speak,” Martinez said. “You’re afraid that the emotion will take over.” said Wright.
When Baby Brianna was killed a person who committed intentional child
abuse resulting in death faced a maximum of 18 years in prison. Her
case brought on a major change, partly due to public outcry.
“Eighteen years for the life of a child?” State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia of Doña Ana said.
“I thought it was absurd.”
It took Garcia three years of trying, but she changed the law to make
the crime punishable by a life sentence. And three relatives, including
her grandparents, were sentenced to 30 days in jail. The maximum is one
year.
Dozens of people in the community weeped over Brianna’s fate.
Mourners who never had the chance to meet Brianna came together, paid
for her casket and burial and claimed her body when nobody else did.
After her funeral and burial, Brianna’s grave turned into a memorial
full of flowers and toys, something her family didn’t approve of.
Brianna’s family locked her up in a cage (pictured above) to shield
the community who loved her so much out. The cage is a mess, unkempt and
full of trash.
When asked why they put a cage over Brianna’s grave-site, they had little to say.
“They were asked, and they said they just wanted to be left alone and they wanted Brianna to be left alone,” Martinez said.
Inside the cage is a cherub with a finger raised to her lips. Some believe it’s a message.
“My first thought was, ‘Let’s not talk about what’s occurred here,’” Lopez said.
The community vows to not let that happen. People still visit and
leave flowers and have built another marker as well. Brianna’s story
has been told dozens of times and is still being told over a decade
later on websites and online memorials including
Brianna Lopez Last Memories and Facebook memorials such as
In Loving Memory of Baby Brianna
Detectives, social workers and prosecutors who worked on her case will also remember the child who never had a chance.
“Before they started the autopsy and her little face was lying on a white sheet and I thought she looks asleep,” Wright said.
“So I just took the picture.”
The picture was photo-shopped to edit out all the marks, bruises and
scars she had. It’s the Brianna the community likes to remember.
“There’s a photograph of her to carry on of her little life,” Wright said.
The picture hangs on the wall next to Susana Martinez’s desk.
“It’s a reminder, of course, of why we do what we do,” Martinez said.
“If you forget you’ll either become calloused or you will become Jell-O. “You can’t do this job well unless you are in the middle, and that’s just a good reminder why we do it.”
Brianna is never far from the detective either.
“It drives me to work harder to prevent, to be a voice for every child of abuse,” Wright said.
“That’s what it does.”
Brianna Lopez – Find A Grave - Brianna Mariah Lopez was buried at Dõna Ana Cemetery in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, USA
In 2005, Senate Bill 166, also known as the Baby Brianna Bill, was
officially signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson. The bill made
child abuse, which results in death, a first degree felony in New Mexico
and set the mandatory minimum sentence at 30 years in prison. Prior to
this it had only been 18 years.
ANGGOTA polis mengangkat mayat lelaki yang ditemui di Jalan Mawar, Puchong.
