LAKE COUNTY, Fla (CBS12) — The murder trial is underway for a convicted felon accused of shooting a store clerk to death during a robbery in Central Florida last year.
The victim, 51yearold Raied “Ray” Shihadeh of Port St. Lucie, was a husband and father of five. Family members say he was a devoted provider who commuted hours from the Treasure Coast to Leesburg to operate his store and support his family.
On Tuesday, family members came face to face with the man accused of gunning him down – 26yearold Alex Lopez.
Opening statements began after a jury was selected Monday. Lopez listened as several witnesses took the stand, including the lead investigator, a DNA analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and an acquaintance familiar with Lopez. The victim’s family sat just feet away.
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Tuesday December 16, 2025: Alex Lopez listens during opening statements in a Lake County courtroom, where he faces charges including first‑degree murder in the shooting death of store clerk Raied Shihadeh. (WKMG)
Surveillance video from May 2024 shows the suspect entering the store, shooting Shihadeh, then jumping the counter to grab cash and a vape product.
Shihadeh was on FaceTime with his wife when he was shot inside the M&M Food Mart.
Lopez evaded police for weeks before being arrested in Osceola County in June 2024.
Shihadeh’s wife, Monique, spoke to CBS12 News last year after Lopez was captured. “There’s moments when there’s tears, somberness. It’s been a struggle,” she said.
Slain shop owner, Raied ‘Ray’ Shihadeh, 51 is remembered as a devoted husband and father of five who worked hard to provide for his family. “There are moments when there’s tears, somberness. It’s been a struggle,” Monique Shihadeh said. “He was just always my rock, always. We were a team, a great team.” (Tarleshia Jerger)
His sisterinlaw, Tarleshia Jerger, added, “for him to be taken like that, suddenly and just senseless, my heart’s for my sister and my nieces and nephews.”
His wife is expected to testify later this week.
Lopez faces multiple charges, including firstdegree murder, robbery with a firearm, and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon, while a concealed weapon charge was dropped in court. Prosecutors have confirmed they are not seeking the death penalty. If convicted, Lopez could face life in prison without parole.
No death penalty in trial of Alex Lopez (right), the man accused of killing a Port St. Lucie store clerk and father of five, Raied “Ray” Shihadeh (left). (Family photo/Leesburg PD)