Murder Charges Dropped in Seaside Cold Case Trial - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

SALINAS, Calif- Charges have been dropped against the man who was accused of killing 19-year-old Chris Lopes in 1969, announced the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

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In late 2007, Detective Borges of the Seaside Police Department received information concerning a 1969 melee at the Del Monte Manor apartments at 1418 Yosemite St. in Seaside that abruptly ended with the homicide of a young man. He researched the archives at Seaside PD and discovered records concerning the case, which documented the homicide of 19-year-old Chris Lopes on December 21, 1969. Since 2007, Detective Borges continued to investigate, follow any lead and talk to anyone who might have any information.
In 2010, the Monterey Peninsula Cold Case Project was re-launched, consisting of local police detectives, a prosecutor, and a Department of Justice forensic technician. Thereafter, an eyewitness came forward to provide an account about the death of Chris Lopes. Using the resources at his disposal, Detective Borges worked the case which eventually led him to Cedar Hill, Texas, where James Terry Mason lived. On October 7, 2010, detectives arrested Mr. Mason for the murder of Chris Lopes. Based on the eyewitness testimony and other evidence in the case the Monterey District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against Mr. Mason in October 2010.
In September of 2012, as the case was pending jury trial, another witness went to the Seaside Police Department to inform the detectives of additional and new information. The new witness had been known to Seaside Police detectives and had previously been a suspect in the case. During the September 2012 interview, the new witness implicated himself in the homicide of Chris Lopes. Based on the new information given to the Seaside detectives and the fact that the state of the evidence is contradictory, the District Attorney's Office is unable to proceed against Mr. Mason and is unable to prove who perpetrated the homicide beyond a reasonable doubt. Because the case is over 40 years old and evidence has dissipated or is lost, it is impossible to forensically reconstruct the events and actions that led to Chris Lopes' homicide. Left are contradictory statements from witnesses about an event that occurred four decades ago. This state of the evidence does not amount to proof beyond a reasonable doubt.