Lopez to Be Sentenced in Murder of Germantown Mom and Son

The man convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of a Germantown boy and his mother is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

 in January that there was evidence to convict him of beating and stabbing to death his estranged wife, Jane McQuain, as she slept at her Germantown apartment in October 2011. Prosecutors said Lopez stole McQuain's car and took her belongings before kidnapping her 11-year-old son William McQuain and beating him to death with a baseball bat.

Lopez, who was not William's biological father, entered an Alford plea, which does not admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a conviction, The Washington Post reported.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth McCormick is scheduled to sentence Lopez for two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of robbery. He could receive up to life in prison.

The Germantown community was devastated by the murders. Jane McQuain was active with Journeys Crossing Church and was described as a single mom devoted to her only child, William. After police discovered her body, the community held out hope that William would be found alive, coordinating search parties and holding vigils to raise awareness.

Police also issued an Amber Alert.

But hope dissolved when a police dog found William's body in a wooded area off Clarksburg Road.

At Monday's sentencing hearing, Lopez is expected to give his account of what happened, The Post reported in January.

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