15 years to life for El Dorado County stepmom in death of malnourished Placerville boy
Lindsay Marie Piper on Friday was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for her role in the death of her stepson, 11-year-old Roman Lopez, whose body was found in the basement of his family’s Placerville home, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
Roman was reported missing from his home Jan. 11, 2020. Officials later revealed that “investigators located Roman deceased inside a storage bin in the basement” of Piper’s rented home hours after the boy was reported missing.
Lindsay Piper, 40, and Jordan Thomas Piper, her husband and Roman’s father, were arrested in February 2021 in connection with the boy’s death. The Pipers were later charged with second-degree murder and child abuse likely to cause great bodily injury or death and causing cruel and extreme pain for revenge, extortion or sadistic purpose, according to a criminal complaint filed in El Dorado Superior Court.
In November, Deputy District Attorney Jay Linden said in court that the decision to add the murder charge was based on new interviews with children who lived in the family’s home at the time of Roman’s death. The Pipers were caring for seven other children in their Placerville home on Coloma Street when Roman was reported missing.
Jordan Piper was charged with an additional count of willfully failing to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical attention to the boy. His wife was charged with a separate count of willfully having “mingled a poison and harmful substance with food, drink, medicine, and pharmaceutical product and placed a poison and harmful substance in a spring, well, reservoir and public water supply” knowing it could cause injury. The Pipers last year pleaded not guilty to those charges.
In May, Roman’s stepmother changed her plea to no contest to the murder charge. Lindsay Piper remains in custody at the El Dorado County Jail awaiting transfer to prison.
Roman’s father on Friday afternoon was in custody at the Sacramento County Jail, where he faces a federal charge of sexually exploiting a child.
Jordan Piper, 36, is accused of secretly recording videos of a girl using the bathroom and bathing at his home in the months before the boy disappeared in Placerville, according to a filed FBI affidavit. His criminal case in El Dorado County stemming from his son’s death is still pending.
This story was originally published July 8, 2022 at 7:10 PM.
