Mass. Man Who Killed Grandma Before Drinking Her Blood and Setting Body on Fire Will Remain in Prison

Mar. 15, 2025

James P. Riva II.Photo:AP Photo/Dick Fallon; Ted Fitzgerald/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty

AP Photo/Dick Fallon; Ted Fitzgerald/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty

A Massachusetts man has been denied parole for the sixth time following the 1980 slaying of his grandmother, whose blood he drank after killing her.James Riva II, 67, was found guilty in 1981 of murdering his grandmother Carmen Lopez in her Marshfield, Mass., home on April 10, 1980, according to a parole boardstatement.He was sentenced to life in prison, with a consecutive 19 to 20 years added for his arson conviction, the Massachusetts State Parole Board said in their statement, which was issued in January.In the statement, the board denied Riva’s parole appeal, citing concerns of his family members who fear retaliation.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.On the day of the attack, Riva went to Lopez’s home, where she asked him to do her laundry, per the parole board’s statement. He retrieved a gun from the basement and shot her several times before dragging her body to the bedroom.He then “ripped open her pajamas and sucked the blood from bullet holes,” the statement reads.He poured dry gas on her body, set her on fire and left the residence about 10 minutes later.Officers responding to the house fire questioned him after he returned to the residence with his father. He was arrested the following day, per the parole board’s statement.

A Massachusetts man has been denied parole for the sixth time following the 1980 slaying of his grandmother, whose blood he drank after killing her.

James Riva II, 67, was found guilty in 1981 of murdering his grandmother Carmen Lopez in her Marshfield, Mass., home on April 10, 1980, according to a parole boardstatement.

He was sentenced to life in prison, with a consecutive 19 to 20 years added for his arson conviction, the Massachusetts State Parole Board said in their statement, which was issued in January.

In the statement, the board denied Riva’s parole appeal, citing concerns of his family members who fear retaliation.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

On the day of the attack, Riva went to Lopez’s home, where she asked him to do her laundry, per the parole board’s statement. He retrieved a gun from the basement and shot her several times before dragging her body to the bedroom.

He then “ripped open her pajamas and sucked the blood from bullet holes,” the statement reads.

He poured dry gas on her body, set her on fire and left the residence about 10 minutes later.

Officers responding to the house fire questioned him after he returned to the residence with his father. He was arrested the following day, per the parole board’s statement.

source: people.com