Man Gets Life Sentence for Murdering Arlington Woman Who Was Selling Jewelry for Christmas Money

A Dallas man was convicted Monday of murdering an Arlington woman who was selling her jewelry for Christmas money in 2016.Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, so 36-year-old Mario Hernan Lopez Gamez was automatically sentenced to life in prison for killing April Vancleave.Vancleave and her husband went to the Target on West Arbrook Boulevard on Dec. 15, 2016, to meet with potential buyers for two gold chains and a diamond ring she was selling for $7,000, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit. They left when the buyers messaged them on the 5miles app to say they weren't coming.Surveillance footage showed the couple walk past two men when they entered the store. The men then parked a maroon Ford truck next to the couple's vehicle and followed them after they left.Vancleave's husband dropped her off in the parking lot of their apartment complex. As soon as he drove away, witnesses said, the men got out of the Ford and got into an altercation with Vancleave.She was shot once in abdomen and died at a hospital, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. Her jewelry and purse were stolen.  Continue reading...