Relative of man suspected of gunning down SW Houston grandparents tells ABC13 he battled mental illness

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A relative of 24-year-old Charles Lopez, the man accused of murdering two southwest Houston grandparents last Friday, spoke exclusively with ABC13 about his mental health on Wednesday.

The man asked ABC13 to conceal his identity, citing fear of retaliation. He said his family has received an onslaught of online hate since the attack.

“I feel like these people don’t understand who (Lopez) really was. What he really was. I feel like they should, I should try to help him. People don’t understand. People say things that they shouldn’t,” he said.

According to the Houston Police Department, Lopez confessed to killing 67-year-old Natanael Fuentes Reyes and 74-year-old Guadalupe Flores in what HPD Sgt. Michael Arrington referred to as an “ambush-style attack” on a walking trail in Wildheather Park Friday morning.

Arrington told ABC13 the gunman, now identified as Lopez, shot Fuentes Reyes and Flores from behind before standing over their bodies and continuing to shoot.

SEE ORIGINAL REPORT: 2 neighbors fatally shot several times from behind while taking a walk at SW Houston park, HPD says

On Monday afternoon, Houston police stopped Lopez while reportedly driving the same white Honda Accord he allegedly used in the attack. According to the department, Lopez admitted that a gun inside the car was the same weapon he used to kill Fuentes Reyes and Flores.

Court documents state investigators matched shell casings from the scene to shell casings from two other crimes in Brazoria and Harris County. The crimes remain under investigation.

“More strife, more grief, more worry. We don’t know what could happen. This is terrible. This is a terrible thing that happened already. We can’t imagine what else could be part of any of this,” Lopez’s relative said.

Relatives and documents confirm that Fuentes Reyes and Flores were longtime friends and neighbors. The Fuentes Reyes family and Sgt. Arrington told ABC13 the men walked the park together each morning.

ABC13 verified that the entrances of the victims’ and suspect’s neighborhoods’ sit directly across the street from one another.

However, Harris County District Attorney’s Office Chief Prosecutor Michael Simons said, “There’s no indication of any kind of link between (the suspect and victims) at this time. We don’t know what the cause was for these murders.”

Fuentes Reyes’ son, Wille Fuentes, told ABC13 he had never seen Lopez prior to his arrest.

PREVIOUS STORY: Man charged in fatal ‘ambush-style attack’ on 2 retirees in southwest Houston park

Lopez’s relative told ABC13 that to his knowledge, the men did not know one another.

“We have no idea,” he said.

Lopez’s relative told ABC13 he long battled mental illness and that his condition had begun to deteriorate over the past month. He said he rapidly cycled through, and struggled to hold down a job.

“I just want people to know that he wasn’t in the right place. His mind wasn’t stable. His mind wasn’t there and that he was a good person. He is a good person,” he said.

The relative described Lopez as a loving father, partner and friend. He has a 4-year-old and 2-year-old child with his high school sweetheart.

A court document lists “mental health issues” under Lopez’s special needs. According to Lopez’s relative, the family had tried to help, but did not understand the apparent gravity of his illness.

“I just wish that I could have seen. That I could have helped him more,” he cried.

Lopez failed to appear for his first two court hearings Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lopez’s relative broke down telling ABC13 that he feels “so sorry” for the victims’ families.

He said wants to offer his condolences but explained, “I don’t think there’s anything I can say to them.” He said he grieves for their families, as well as his own.

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