Trial of Man Accused in 2007 Murder of Murrieta Woman Underway

A Murrieta man accused of murdering his girlfriend in 2007, burning her body and then dumping it behind a fitness gym is being tried at Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta this week.

The jury trial of Melvin Louis Shaw, 45, started April 14 and continues Thursday. Shaw has pleaded not guilty to the July 21, 2007, killing of Elisa Marie Lopez of Murrieta.

The body of Lopez was found by a security guard near a dumpster behind LA Fitness on Winchester and Nicolas roads in Temecula, according to court documents. Her face and the left portion of her body were burned/charred beyond recognition, but her fingerprints were used to identify her.

According to a statement of facts from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Shaw had moved into Lopez's Murrieta home on Masters Drive less than a month before her death. The couple had been dating about three months.

Murrieta police Cpl. Steven Whittington responded to Lopez's home the following morning when Shaw called to report Lopez missing. Shaw reportedly told Whittington he spent the night at the home after drinking with friends in Temecula, but that Lopez never came home. Shaw told the officer he got a ride to pick up his truck in Temecula that morning, and went to Temecula Middle School, where he coached Pop Warner Football.

Whittington noticed a clothes dryer running and other inconsistencies to Shaw's claim that he hadn't done anything around the house that morning, according to the statement. Inside the dryer were bloody-looking towels and a shirt later identified as one Shaw allegedly wore the day of Lopez's disappearance.

Sgt. Dave Baca with the Murrieta Police Department continued questioning Shaw. Several of Lopez's friends were also interviewed. An investigation of Lopez's cell phone activity revealed text messages to her ex-boyfriend the day of her death. The last time her cell phone was used was to send a text message to her ex-boyfriend, Joe Piro, that said, "Do you still miss me?" The phone was never found, according to court records.

Criminalist David Wu from the Department of Justice Crime Lab arrived at the home on Masters Drive, where court records show he found droplets of blood in the master bathroom. Records show Wu found bloody drag marks from the bottom of the home's staircase to Lopez's Lexus SUV, parked in the garage. Through DNA testing, the blood was identified as Lopez's.

Shaw has been in custody since his arrest, and is being held on more than $1 million bail. Thursday marks the fifth day of the trial.