Man Arrested in Connection With Murders, Stabbing in Hemet

Update: The identity of the two deceased victims in this case has been released by the Coroner's Office. They are Joanna Barrientos, 36, of Hemet and Mia Lopez, 5, of Hemet. According to police, they were the estranged wife and daughter of the suspect, Johnny Lopez. The victims were not biologically related, however.

A man is in police custody as the suspect in the murder of a woman and 5-year-old girl and the stabbing of another woman in separate incidents on Saturday in Hemet.

Johnny Lopez, 33, of Hemet was arrested after Hemet Police responded to a call at 8:13 p.m. in the 41000 block of Sunset Lane. Deputies found a male sitting in the street with blood on him. The man, identified as Lopez, refused to cooperate and began fighting with deputies, according to police. After a brief struggle, he was taken into custody.

Deputies checked the residence Lopez was standing in front of and located an adult female suffering from life-threatening stab wounds. The female was transported to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.

At 9:16 p.m. the same night, deputies received a suspicious circumstance call at a residence located in the 26000 block of Girard Street, also in Hemet. The caller stated that two subjects were found deceased inside the residence. Deputies arrived and located a 36-year-old female and a 5-year-old female, both dead from gunshot wounds. The three victims in both incidents are not related to each other. Both incidents appear to be related and there are no outstanding suspects, police said.

Investigators from the Riverside Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit and the Riverside Sheriff's Hemet Station responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. The identification of the decedents will not be released until the next of kin have been notified.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Investigator Stites of the Riverside Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Janecka of the Hemet Station at 951-791-3400.