Awilda Lopez
Encyclopedia
Awilda Lopez gained infamy in late 1995 as the mother and killer of her daughter, 6-year-old Elisa Izquierdo
.
When Elisa was born addicted to cocaine on February 11, 1989, she was placed in the custody of her father, Gustavo Izquierdo. It has been the source of much debate whether Lopez initially gave up her daughter or whether she voluntarily abandoned her. Lopez first gained custody of Elisa in May 1994, after the child's father died of cancer.
As an adult, Lopez came under the influence of crack cocaine
. Like famous victims Nadine Lockwood
and Nixzmary Brown
, Elisa too had been singled out for abuse among her siblings. Lopez was alleged to have forbidden Elisa to have contact with her other siblings while they ate or played, to have forced her to ingest her own waste, to have mopped the floor with her head and to have cut off the child's hair, and to have kept Elisa confined to their apartment on the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
while the other children were allowed out to play.
In August 1996, Lopez pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life imprisonment. During the winter of 2006, when the Nixzmary Brown
case made headlines, Lopez expressed her penitence from prison for her role in her own daughter's death.
Elisa Izquierdo
Elisa Izquierdo was a six-year-old Cuban American girl who became a symbol of child abuse in the USA after being beaten to death by her mother Awilda Lopez, a New York City drug addict, in 1995...
.
When Elisa was born addicted to cocaine on February 11, 1989, she was placed in the custody of her father, Gustavo Izquierdo. It has been the source of much debate whether Lopez initially gave up her daughter or whether she voluntarily abandoned her. Lopez first gained custody of Elisa in May 1994, after the child's father died of cancer.
As an adult, Lopez came under the influence of crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
. Like famous victims Nadine Lockwood
Nadine Lockwood
Nadine Lockwood was a child from Washington Heights, New York City who was murdered by her mother.Nadine was systematically starved to death by her mother, Carla Lockwood, who admitted to police that she hated the little girl, and specifically singled her out for abuse...
and Nixzmary Brown
Nixzmary Brown
Nixzmary Brown was a seven-year-old abused child and murder victim from the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn section of New York City, New York...
, Elisa too had been singled out for abuse among her siblings. Lopez was alleged to have forbidden Elisa to have contact with her other siblings while they ate or played, to have forced her to ingest her own waste, to have mopped the floor with her head and to have cut off the child's hair, and to have kept Elisa confined to their apartment on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
while the other children were allowed out to play.
In August 1996, Lopez pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life imprisonment. During the winter of 2006, when the Nixzmary Brown
Nixzmary Brown
Nixzmary Brown was a seven-year-old abused child and murder victim from the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn section of New York City, New York...
case made headlines, Lopez expressed her penitence from prison for her role in her own daughter's death.
Sources
- Various archived articles from the New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, The New York Post and The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... - Van Biema, David. "Abandoned to Her Fate", TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
. December 11, 1995 - Peyser, Mark. "The Death of Little Elisa", NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. December 11, 1995 - "Little Girl Lost", Dateline NBCDateline NBCDateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, August 30, 1996