REMEMBER Sonia
PHOTOGRAPH NOT AVAILABLE
Sonia Lopez
27 YEARS OLD ·
Naples,
Florida
Sonia Lopez was a 27-year-old mother of four living in Naples, Florida. Three of her young children were home when she was killed, and two witnessed the shooting. Her death left four children without their mother.
Publicly available reporting reviewed for Sonia’s profile provides limited information about her life outside the circumstances of her death. She was a 27-year-old mother of four and lived in Naples with her children. The Violet Thread preserves the details that can be responsibly documented without adding unsupported biographical information.
THE RECORD
In the early hours of January 1, 2003, Sonia Lopez was fatally shot inside the Naples apartment she shared with her live-in boyfriend, Bruce Stoddart. According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, the couple had recently returned home after celebrating New Year’s with neighbors when an argument began after Sonia shared champagne with a neighbor. Investigators said Stoddart followed Sonia into a bedroom and shot her multiple times with a handgun. Three of Sonia’s four children were inside the apartment, and two, ages 9 and 12, witnessed the shooting from their bedroom. The children fled to a relative’s nearby apartment. Stoddart called 911 after the shooting, identified himself and Sonia, disclosed the location, and confessed, according to arrest reports.
RELATIONSHIP CONTEXT
Boyfriend
Available research records identify the relationship to the perpetrator as Boyfriend.
CHILDREN / ADDITIONAL VICTIMS
CHILDREN PRESENT — DOCUMENTED YES
PATTERNS DOCUMENTED IN AVAILABLE RECORDS
These indicators reflect what could be established from available sources. Absence from this list does not establish that a behavior did not occur.
LEGAL / SYSTEM RESPONSE
Bruce Stoddart called 911 immediately following the shooting and confessed, according to arrest reports. Collier County deputies responded to the apartment and arrested him. Stoddart was charged with second-degree murder. A judge subsequently ordered him held without bond while the criminal case proceeded.
SOURCES
INFORMATION LIMITATIONS
Fields marked UNKNOWN were not established in the available coded record and do not mean the behavior did not occur.
TRANSPARENCY / RECORD NOTE
Contemporary reporting attributes the circumstances of Sonia’s death to Collier County deputies and arrest reports. Stoddart’s reported 911 confession and second-degree murder charge are documented, but the sources currently reviewed do not establish the ultimate disposition of the prosecution.
REMEMBER Sonia.
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