PLACERVILLE, CA – In a recent courtroom hearing, a Placerville father was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after changing his plea to guilty in the second-degree murder of his 11-year-old son, Roman Lopez, in 2020.

The case that shocked the community reached a new development when Jordan Piper, initially pleading not guilty, took responsibility for the crime that led to the tragic discovery of his son’s body in the basement of the home he shared with his wife, Lindsay Piper. The boy’s sudden disappearance in January 2020 had residents of the quiet town on edge, only to be followed by the harrowing find.

It took authorities a year to bring charges against the couple. While Lindsay Piper previously pled no contest and received an identical sentence, her husband’s sentencing concluded following his federal conviction in an unrelated child exploitation case, for which he is already serving 15 years.

At the sentencing, emotions ran high as the impact of the loss was voiced by Erin Rice, the best friend of Roman’s biological mother, Rochelle Lopez, who passed away in 2021. She expressed hope that Jordan Piper would be haunted by the memory of his son’s fear and pain.

The maximum sentence handed down to Jordan Piper resonates with a community that has been seeking justice for Roman. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office emphasized the gravity of the crime, marking the close of a deeply disturbing chapter with this latest judicial outcome.