Cal State Fullerton murder trial: Defendant was enraged by jealousy

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- The prosecutor told jurors that "actions speak louder than words" as closing arguments got underway in the trial of a man accused of fatally stabbing a Cal State Fullerton student 20 years ago.

Sam Lopez is accused of murdering his former girlfriend, Cathy Torrez. Jurors watched a video of Lopez from 1994, as the then-22-year-old waited in a police interview room.

"We saw a greater display of emotion over dirt on his hat than the death of Cathy Torrez," said prosecutor Matt Murphy.

The 20-year-old honors student left work Feb. 12, 1994, but never returned home.

"The person Cathy Torrez was about to see, right before she was butchered, is sitting right there," Murphy said.

Prosecutors allege Lopez stabbed Torrez more than 70 times. His cousin, Xavier Lopez, helped put her in the trunk of her car while still alive.

Closing arguments in the CSUF murder trial

CSUF murder trial: Defendant was enraged by jealousy

Her body was found a week later in her car parked outside a Placentia hospital.

Authorities said improved DNA technology led to Lopez's arrest in 2007.

But defense attorneys said there were no fingerprints or DNA linking Lopez to the murder.

"There's no evidence to show my client did it," said defense attorney Lew Rosenblum. "It's not my client's DNA, it's Xavier's DNA. It was Xavier that did this, not my client."

During the intense search for Torrez, prosecutors say her family tried repeatedly to reach Lopez.

"Sam Lopez did nothing to help this family locate Cathy," Murphy said.

The prosecutor alleges Lopez -- despite having his own girlfriend -- was enraged by jealousy. Witnesses testified Lopez proposed to Torrez, but she planned to turn him down.

"Jealousy turning into anger, turning into violence," Murphy said.

The defense says Xavier Lopez -- not Sam -- killed Torrez. Xavier Lopez's DNA was found on her and her car. The defense criticized the prosecution for jumping to conclusions.

"The detectives made up their minds about who did this murder within hours, before they talked to any witnesses," said defense attorney Lew Rosenblum.

The defense urged to stick to the evidence, not opinion when making their final decision on the case.

Xavier Lopez and Sam Lopez's brother, Armando, are also charged in the case, but they are being tried separately.