Man accused of killing off-duty BP agent takes the stand, claims self-defense

The man accused of shooting and killing an off-duty Border Patrol agent testified in his own defense Wednesday, telling jurors he acted in self-defense after a group instigated a fight with him.

Hisaias Justo Lopez is charged with Murder for the fatal stabbing of Border Patrol Agent Isaac Morales in May 2017. The agent was off-duty at the time.

Police said Lopez and Morales got into a fight outside the Union Draft House bar in Far East El Paso. During the fight, Lopez allegedly stabbed Morales in the eye. The agent died from the stab wounds four days later.

In court Wednesday, Lopez said he and his wife were out on a date night at the Union Draft House, where they had two drinks each, a tall beer and a tequila shot. Lopez said his wife didn’t feel good after leaving the bar around 1:47 a.m. and he lost track of her. Testifying earlier in the day, Lopez’s wife, Misty Lopez, told the jury she drank a tall Bud Light and a Patron, and the next thing she remembers is “waking up in a field.” The woman told the jury she could not remember a lot of what happened the night the federal agent was killed.

Hisaias Lopez told the jury he was looking for his wife when he ran into agent Morales, Cesar Lopez, and Morales’ wife in the parking lot. Lopez said the group instigated a fight, saying the two men were punching and kicking him. Lopez further testified he tried to leave the scene to help his wife, but says the assault continued.

Lopez said he pulled out his knife for self defense and tried to get up while fighting back against Morales, who he said kept punching and kicking him until he went down. Lopez said he didn’t know he had stabbed Morales in the eye.

Earlier this week, Yasmi Gonzalez, the common-law wife of agent Morales, testified they ran into Lopez in the parking lot and it appeared Lopez was arguing with someone on the phone. Gonzalez said, that prior to the fight, her husband identified himself as a Border Patrol agent, but Lopez swatted the badge out of his hand.