Crime & Safety

Lopez Waives Preliminary Hearing

Curtis Maurice Lopez, 45, has been charged with first-degree murder

The man accused of killing his estranged wife and her stepson waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday in Montgomery County District Court.

Charged with first-degree murder, Curtis Maurice Lopez, 45, appeared in court via teleconference from jail.

Police found Lopez's estranged wife Jane McQuain beaten to death in her Germantown apartment on Oct. 12. An Amber Alert had been issued for McQuain's 11-year-old son William McQuain, who's body was later found by a police K-9 in Clarksburg on Oct. 18.

Find out what's happening in Germantownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Seth Zucker, a spokesman for the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, said the state had 30 days to move the case from District Court to Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Lopez's attorney is Alan Drew from the public defender's office.

Find out what's happening in Germantownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.