Romans cleared of murder

Shooting deemed self-defense

RITZVILLE - James D. Romans, 68, Othello, was cleared of murder charges Feb. 29 in Adams County Superior Court following a four-day trial.

Romans was arrested Aug. 4 for second-degree murder after shooting Jorge Luis Lopez Montanez. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in court Aug. 20.

Romans' defense attorney Paul Szott said the jury appeared to agree Romans shot Lopez Montanez, 32, Othello, in self-defense. He said Romans sustained a serious beating from Lopez Montanez over a long period of time. Szott said photographs taken of Romans shortly after the incident indicated he sustained serious injuries from the beating.

"There was no choice but to shoot Mr. Lopez," he said.

Szott said the defense presented two witnesses including a firearms expert and a private investigator.

Romans did not take the stand, he said. The jury watched a two-hour video featuring Romans and an Othello police officer. The video was recorded approximately five hours after the shooting. It features the officer questioning Romans about the incident.

The jury viewed the interview showing Romans reportedly saying he recalled Lopez Montanez hitting him and he thought about retrieving a gun to defend himself.

Lopez Montanez was pronounced dead at Romans' Othello apartment on East Elm Street in Othello. An investigation revealed Lopez Montanez suffered a single gunshot wound.