Worcester man convicted of murder after fight over dinner bill

A Worcester man who shot and killed his friend in a 2020 dispute over a restaurant bill has been found guilty of second-degree murder and reckless child endangerment. 

Leroy Thompson Jr. was convicted of killing 24-year-old Joshua Lopez, who was sitting in the back seat of a car near Almont Avenue in Worcester when Thompson shot him in the head early on July 5, 2020. Prosecutors said Thompson fired his gun over the head of a young child who was sitting next to Lopez in the car.

Thompson, 30, is due for sentencing Sept. 24 following Thursday’s verdict. He faces life in prison on the murder charge, with eligibility for parole. 

Thompson’s attorneys have appealed his conviction. 

Prosecutors said Thompson and Lopez were among a group of people who spent the afternoon of July 4 at a restaurant in Randolph, then at a friend’s house in Worcester. That evening, Thompson argued with the others about whether he owed them money for the restaurant bill. He and Lopez came to blows, a physical altercation that ended with Thompson on the ground outside his home, according to court documents. 

Seconds later, prosecutors said, Thompson retrieved a gun and shot Lopez through the rear passenger side window. 

A lawyer for Thompson argued during closing statements last week that he suffered from untreated mental health issues, according to The Telegram & Gazette in Worcester. Thompson took the stand in his own defense, telling jurors he had been self-medicating with liquor and marijuana, the newspaper reported. 

He also reportedly testified that he did not recall the events leading up to Lopez’s death. Lopez died July 6, 2020, a day after the shooting. A barber, he’d lived in Worcester most of his life. 

“No matter where you found Joshua, he would most certainly be doing his utmost to brighten someone’s day and defend anyone who was in trouble,” his family wrote in his obituary.

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between. She has been covering the Karen Read murder case.