Roman Lopez’s stepmother Lindsay Piper pleads no contest in death of 11-year-old

By Daniel Macht

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    PLACERVILLE, California (KCRA) — One of the parents accused of killing 11-year-old Roman Lopez in Placerville has changed her plea to no contest and will face sentencing in July, according to the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office.

Lindsay Piper pleaded no contest to second-degree murder Monday in El Dorado County court.

She faces 15 years to life when she’s due at a sentencing hearing on July 8.

Roman’s father, Jordan Piper and Lindsay Piper were arrested in February 2021 on charges that initially included child abuse, poisoning and torture. Murder charges were filed against the pair the following October.

At the time of Roman’s death, the child was living in a home with the Pipers and seven other children whose ages ranged from 1 to 17 years old. The family had recently moved to Placerville and had only been in the house for a little over two months before Roman’s death.

Roman was reported missing in January 2020. He was found dead hours later in a storage bin in the basement of the family’s home, and police said at the time that his death was suspicious and authorities were investigating. Both had pleaded not guilty.

Authorities said that although an autopsy conducted revealed no obvious trauma, Roman was found to be “severely malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death.”

Jordan Piper has a preliminary hearing set for May 24.

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