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Man who ripped out girlfriend’s intestines for yelling her husband’s name during sex gets life in prison

'At that point, I get mad,' Fidel Lopez told investigators. 'I get really, really mad'

Jeff Farrell
Friday 04 August 2017 11:27 BST
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Lopez initially claimed to police Ms Nemeth had died after the pair had had rough sex in a closet
Lopez initially claimed to police Ms Nemeth had died after the pair had had rough sex in a closet (Broward County Sheriffs )

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A jealous “monster” who admitted to ripping out his girlfriend’s intestines after she called out her estranged husband’s name twice during sex, has been given life in prison with no chance of parole.

Fidel Lopez, 26, told police became “enraged” during intercourse in a closet with Maria Nemeth, 31, at her apartment in Sunrise, Florida.

“She called me the name of the other F****** guy,” he told investigators after the September 2015 murder. “And she said it twice, and she was wrong and she was confusing me with him. At that point, I get mad. I get really, really mad.”

Admitting that he became a “monster”, Lopez told officers that he flew into a rage and broke objects around the apartment before he launched his bloody attack on his girlfriend, who had passed out after drinking too much alcohol.

As the 31-year-old lay stricken, he shoved objects into Ms Nemeth's vagina and anus, including a beer bottle, a hair iron, and even his fist and arms up to his elbows, ripping out some of her intestinal tissue.

After he noticed she had stopped breathing, he tried and failed to resuscitate her by splashing water on her face, he said. Then he called the police.

Officers arrested Lopez after they turned up at the bloody scene in Ms Nemeth’s apartment.

He initially tried to pass off Ms Nemeth's horrific injuries as being the result of rough sex.

But last month he switched his plea from not guilty to guilty to escape the death penalty. He will now serve life in prison with no chance of parole.

After he was sentenced, Lopez apologised to Ms Nemeth’s family at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CBS Miami reported.

“Today, I am happy to fulfill this conviction," he said. "I know that what I did has to be paid and I agree… I will pay with my life for the life I took,” he said. “To Maria’s family, I ask forgiveness.”

At the sentencing, Ms Nemeth's family said they were devastated over their loss.

“If I had to summarise the life of Maria, it would be very difficult to express in a few lines,” her uncle, Juan Cavezudo, said. “I just want to tell you all that she was and will continue to be a model of affection, effort, perseverance and love of humanity.”

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