The Trial for the State of Rhode Island Vs Jason Lopes began with Jury selection on November 3. After 3 days of jury Selection, a jury of 14 (12 with 2 alternates) was selected and the trial began November 6th.
Assistant Attorney General Timothy Healey prosecuted on the case with detective Angelo A’Vant and Sean Brown of the Providence Police Department. Detective Angelo A’Vant was on scene in the early morning hours of December 18, 2010 and saw the investigation through until its end.
Opening statements
In opening statements, Tim Healey spoke on behalf of the states findings.
On Dec. 18, 2010, Jason Lopes and Zackary Marshall were separately leaving nearby restaurants when an altercation began. Jason Lopes stabbed Zackary Marshall four times in his chest and torso before fleeing with his group. First responders rushed Zack to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The case went cold. In 2020, Michael Chaves, Jason Lopes’ friend and former employer, was arrested in a separate case. He told police that on the night of the fight, Jason Lopes called him at roughly 3 a.m., asking for a ride from downtown Providence. Jason Lopes admitted that he had stabbed someone during a fight. He also provided the names of people he was with when the fight broke out. Investigators interviewed each of them, and two of them testified before a Grand Jury that Lopes was responsible for the stabbing. Jason Lopes was arrested on March 12, 2021, in Texas and admitted to the stabbing.
John Calcagni, lawyer to the defense, argued that Zack acted uncharacteristically and initiated the confrontation by persistently approaching and engaging with the group when he became agitated. He states Jason Lopes acted in self-defense and in defense of others during the altercation. The defense contended that he became involved in an escalating physical confrontation and believed that individuals at the scene were in immediate danger, prompting his actions in response.
Witness Testimony
Witness #1
The first witness to testify was Paulo Casimiro. His testimony painted a picture that Zack had approached his group which included a total of 4 individuals. Himself, his sister Claudia Azizian (Casimiro), her boyfriend Jason Lopes (the defendant) and Enson Ibanez (Jason’s friend)
Paulo testified that Zack approached the group shirtless with a can of Vodka infused whipped cream. He says Zack was insistent and was trying to shove the whipped cream in his sisters mouth. He says he walked over where she was standing with Jason and took the can from Zack’s hand and threw it. Claudia Casimiro herself testified to having no recollection of this happening at all. No one other than Paulo and Jason testified to the whipped cream can scenario.
Paulo continued and says Zacks friend, Matt threw the first punch at Enson Ibanez which caused him to fall to the ground. When asked if he was unconscious, Paulo asked for a definition of the word unconscious. They asked if his eyes were closed to which he said yes and then when asked again he then says he couldn’t tell because Enson was face down. He says a chaotic fight ensued where Zack and Jason began to fight and Paulo who testified to being 5’8” 150lbs began engaging with Matt who was 6’4” 230lbs. Throughout this case most witnesses describe this fight as a “scuffle” or a “scrum” with no real punches thrown and landed. Paulo says he was never in fear for his life. He didn’t have any bruises or scratches. Following the fight, they realized Jason lost his keys. Someone called for a ride and once in the car Jason told him he stabbed someone and showed him a small 1 inch to 1 and half inch pocket knife. When asked if he felt the situation called for that Paulo said no. The very next day Paulo Casimiro went back to his home in Florida and never saw or spoke to Jason Lopes or Enson Ibanez again. He said he never spoke about it again and “just tried to forget about it.”
Witness #2
Claudia Azizan (Casimiro) was next on the stand. She entered the courtroom appearing frustrated and disengaged. Claudia testified to having very little recollection of that night. She testified to remembering an unidentifiable person approaching her who seemed intoxicated and just pushed them away from her. She had little recollection or memories of the fight. In fact, when asked how long her relationship was with Jason, how long they lived together, when they broke up she said “I don’t know.” The judge encouraged her to reread her grand jury testimony, refresh her memory and come back from a short morning break more prepared to answer questions. Again, she entered the courtroom to finish her testimony appearing again frustrated. She testified to learning in the car like Paulo that someone had been stabbed. She testified that she felt shocked in learning that her boyfriend had stabbed someone.
In talking about what happened the following day, she talks about a phone call made between herself,Jason and Enson. In this phone call she says Enson said they were now a “Wolfpack” they agreed to lie to the police if they came around. She says they discussed needing to burn their clothes and never talk about it again. They also spoke about whether there were cameras in the area which Jason told them there were none. She then drove to an industrial area in Rhode Island where Jason worked and she gave Jason her jacket and her favorite red pair of shoes. When asked how she remembered that part she stated she was upset at having to burn a $1200 coat she had saved up to buy herself. She testified that Jason also asked her to dye her hair, which was purple at the time and she agreed to do so. When asked if she talked to anyone about it she said “no. I just tried to bury it.” She was asked if her and Jason had spoken about it again and she said no because she didn’t want to bring it up and upset him and cause him to become paranoid about whether or not he could trust her.
Witness #3
Enson Ibanez took the stand next. Enson was uncooperative throughout the process and was brought to Rhode Island from California through an interstate subpoena and ordered by a California judge to appear. He was uncooperative with the Attorney Generals office and refused to prepare to testify. He was classified as a hostile witness. Before appearing before the Jury, he was questioned in front of the judge and given several warnings by the Judge.
Upon being put under oath and testifying to the events of that night, he testified to having not one single memory of that night or the “wolfpack” conversation the very next day. He explained this is because he used to drink in excess to the point of blackout and would get into altercations regularly. He had been in “too many to count.” So many in fact, that he needed a rhinoplasty from one incident, he had slip discs in his back from another. He was arrested as a result of a fight at Fish Co. which he stated he didn’t remember the fight and only learned the details after reading the police report and got a DUI. Jason Lopes was present that night also. Enson Ibanez testified to not remembering having any bruises, cuts or scrapes after the night Zack was killed.
He then was asked about a phone call he made after Detective Angelo A’Vant visited him in 2020 with a grand jury Subpoena. He said during grand jury that he didn’t call Jason Lopes to let him know about the Subpoena. During his testimony at this trial he admitted he did in fact call Jason Lopes to let him know about it. Jason Lopes would later testify they actually met up within an hour of that phone call to talk about it. Jason Lopes moved to Texas two months later. Detective A’Vant testified that when he returned to Enson Ibanez house for a second time his apartment was stacked to the ceiling with boxes. Enson Ibanez also moved to another state.
Witness #4
Next to take the stand was Zacks friend that was with him that night, Matt G. Matt says he had between 6 and 7 drinks throughout the night and some shots of Tequila. Matt says Zack walked out of the bar 10 to 15 paces in front of him and approached Enson Ibanez. He said Zack and Enson walked some steps shoulder to shoulder and Zack departs that interaction appearing agitated. He felt like Zack maybe knew him. He then says Zack walked over and got on top of the hood of his car and removed an item of clothing which he felt could have been his shirt or jacket or both and continued on the roof of his car and walked off the back of it. He says the groups exchanged words and Zack walked toward the group of 4 where they were exchanging words. When Matt G. approached he struck Enson Ibanez. He then remembers seeing Jason and Zack engaged in a “scrum” like altercation where he saw Jason strike Zack repeatedly in the torso and then they both stopped. He surmised the fight happed for about 5-8 seconds. Matt testified to not fighting any other person from the group. When Zack headed back to his car Matt testified that Enson Ibanez pointed towards Zack and says “Go look at your boy now” and Matt witnessed Zack holding his torso and followed. As Zack got back to the passenger side door he saw him collapse. He then walked over and began rendering aid. Once Zack was transported to Rhode Island hospital he drove Zack’s car to the hospital and began cooperating with police and has since been cooperative at every stage of this process.
Witness #5
The next witness was a woman who exited the bar when the fight ended and witnessed Zack collapse. She continued to her car because she felt there were enough people rendering aid. When she continued walking in the same direction Jason and his group were exiting she heard one of them say “That kid can’t fight for shit” She later states that she didn’t realize that didn’t know it was Zack on the ground someone she had met through mutual friends a few times.
The next witness was Charles B. He was a bystander who witnessed the fight and aftermath. He didn’t know anyone in either party. Charles B. Testified that when he exited McFaddens which was across the street from Ten Prime Steak and Sushi where Zack and Matt were coming from, Zack approached him and complimented him. “Hey I like your style. It’s like mine.” Charles thanked him and walked to the car he came in the adjacent parking lot. He kept eyes on Zack as he noticed he got on top of his car. He and his friends remained in the car and observed the fight. Charles recalled that Zack hit Enson but also testified to being 30 feet away at this point. All other testimony pointed to Matt G having thrown the first punch. After this he says Zack began fighting Jason and Paulo. This lines up with the original story we heard in 2010 that Zack was primary fighting someone but then there was a much smaller male jumping in and out of the fight. Upon noticing that Zack was fighting more than one person Charles exited the passenger seat of the vehicle he was in and approached the altercation. When asked why he exited he states that it looked like he was getting jumped and he doesn’t like to see people getting beat up. As he was approaching he noticed Zack walking back to his car and witnessed him collapse. He too rendered aid.
Witness # 6
The next witness for the prosecution was Patrick K. a bouncer at McFaddens who had just gotten off his shift and was leaving the bar. Patrick K. didn’t know any of the parties and was the only one to testify to being completely sober. He was standing feet from the entire altercation. He says both parties approached in the street with Claudia Azizan standing in between both parties trying to separate the groups telling Zack to “go away you retard” several times. Where Patrick was standing he says someone moved Claudia out of the way. He says Matt punched Enson Ibanez and yelled “boom” and then Jason and Paulo began fighting Zack. He says Enson Ibanez then stood and also joined the fight and that they surrounded Zack each throwing punches from their direction causing Zack to then turn in the direction of the strikes. He testifies that during the altercation they ripped Zack’s shirt off of him. He noticed Zack walked back to his car and thought he was laying on the side walk because he was tired. He says he has seen many fights and many time he’ll see people sit on the ground from exhaustion. As he approached Zack he recalled the look in Zack’s eyes. He felt Zack had his eyes open but was unconscious. He realized that Zack was bleeding and ran inside McFaddens to grab towels and told someone to call the police. He remained at the scene until Zack was taken by ambulance.
Lead Investigator
Detective Angelo A’vant took the stand. He confirmed the foot prints found on Zacks car. He confirmed that the footprints found on the hood and trunk are of belonged to Zack, he was shown pictures of the interior of the car when Attorney John Calcagni zeroed in on some kind of Aerosol can in the back driver side. The label was turned so what exactly the item was is unidentifiable but tried to infer that this was the can of the Vodka infused whipped cream in question. He also asked if everything in the car was inventoried which Detective A’vant stated “no” and testified that it was out outside of police procedure to allow Matt to drive the car to the hospital. At the hospital, police seized the car and brought in to the police car port for photos. Zacks jacket was found on the passenger seat of the car.
Medical Examiner
A Medical examiner then takes the stand. He states that Zack had a blood alcohol level of .2 and he was negative for drugs. It’s at this time that the Attorney for the defense then asks the medical examiner if the testing includes nitric oxide. Sowing doubt that Zack was acting uncharacteristically because he was high on nitric oxide from the whipped cream can. The prosecution objected and we moved on from this line of questioning. THe ME meticulously goes through each wound. There were 4 stab wounds, 1 attempted stab wound and a number of defensive wounds found along the outside of his wrists and arms. He also had scratches down the sides of his neck what we guessed was from having his shirt torn off, a wound on his chin and his eyebrow. The deepest wound that happened was a stab wound 3 and half inches to the heart. This injury was catastrophic, perforating the exterior sack around the heart and to the heart itself. He clarifies that a would this deep does not necessarily speak to the size of the knife as other factors such as force could cause a small weapon to cause an injury this size. John Calcagni argued to then clarify that defensive wounds are called defensive wounds but there would be no way for the medical examiner to know truly if they were caused as a result of Zack advancing towards the knife.
The Defendant
At this time the prosecution rested their case and Jason Lopes himself took the stand and testified to a different account of events.
Jason says hes downtown in a car he took from the Transport business he was working at the time with Michael Chaves. It was during that process where he gives the names of Jason, Enson, Claudia and Paulo.
Jason testifies that he’s met Paulo for the first time that night because Claudia wanted to take her brother out because he was in town and they go to McFaddens and meet some of her cousins. Jason says he only had two Guinness’s because he was driving and didn’t want to risk is CDL license. He states upon exiting the bar Claudia is intoxicated. So his focus was on getting her out of there. He’s pulling her along. He states that Zack approaches them and Zack asks “Do you guys huff?” The defense raised questions about whether standard autopsy toxicology testing included nitric oxide during the medical examiners testimony. The prosecution objected to this line of questioning, and the court sustained the objection, after which the questioning moved on. From the defense’s perspective, the question was aimed at exploring potential gaps in toxicology testing and supporting this question supposedly being asked by Zack. Jason Lopes is the only one who testifies to Zack asking this question.
Jason lopes says he’s shoving the whipped cream can in Claudia’s mouth and Claudia takes the can out of Zack’s hands and she begins trying to shove the can in Zack’s mouth. He says Zack was amused by this. He then states he’s pulling Claudia down the street and when they get to the corner of Friendship and Peck he turns to see Enson and Paulo on the ground getting beat up on the ground. This is the same spot Patrick K. said he was standing and he never mentions seeing Jason and Claudia standing near him. Jason says Matt is kicking and punching an unconscious Enson and Paulo is on his hands and knees and Zack has him by the hood of his sweatshirt and he’s striking Paulo in the head. He says Claudia then runs back to the fight and he says he sees Zack approach his car again and retrieve what he believed was a mini bat, a small pipe or a pair of brass knuckles. The Judge encouraged him not to guess. Upon returning for the second day of his testimony he then proceeds to guess that maybe it was a gun to which the Judge again reminds him not to guess. The prosecutor asked if it could have been a cell phone and he said no.
It’s important to note here that no single other witness testified to Zack returning to his car a second time, opening rear passenger side door at any point nor that he had a weapon. Paulo himself testified at no point that he even fought Zack at all. He also said he had no injuries after that night. Not a bruise. Skinned knees. Not a scratch.
He states that as Zack was reproaching he bent down to check on Enson and it was at this time that he pulled out his knife and began announcing he had a weapon. That Matt was standing near him and saw and heard this. Matt and everyone else testified to not seeing any weapon from neither Jason nor Zack. Patrick Keenan whom was standing closest did not see any weapon nor anyone announce a weapon.
When Jason was asked about standing at the corner with Claudia if he could have just walked to his car he repeatedly said “no” because of Claudia. He states he was not angry but just trying to protect everyone.
He says that Zack then approaches him aggressively and Everytime Zack advanced Jason continued to stab him until he stopped.
Once the groups separate, Jason then states that he collects everyone and heads in the direction of his vehicle parked in a parking lot across the street. He then states he realizes he doesn’t have the keys and that Claudia had run down the block. Once everyone caught up he states it’s then that he announces what happened and that he wants to go back and turn himself in but everybody advised against it. So in protection of everyone else he doesn’t return. A mounted police officer stops them as they’re walking and asks if they’ve been involved in an altercation to which they lie and say no. Enson proceeds to call his cousin for a ride. The cousin then drives Jason to Michael and Carolyn Chaves house. It’s there he tells Michael and Carolyn what he’s done and they discourage him from turning himself in because of the financial implications it would cause them now being involved. Michael and Jason then return to the scene to find no police and retrieve the car but the keys have never been found.
Jason Lopes states that he never told anyone to protect everyone else from consequence. When asked if he thought it was the other way around and that in fact everyone was protecting him he says no. Everyone was scared of the consequences but him. He asks why his relationship with Claudia ended to which he stated she became pregnant by him and she lost the pregnancy which they never came back from.
In his testimony, he corroborates a conversation that happened between him, Claudia and Enson where they agreed to never speak of it again. When asked about burning evidence he states it’s Claudia who wanted to burn her clothes because she had blood on her jacket. He doesn’t remember asking her to dye her hair to be less recognizable nor that she immediately dyed her hair but she did so “eventually” and he doesn’t remember when.
Jason Lopes placed responsibility on multiple people rather than accepting it himself, with particular emphasis on Claudia Azizan.
When asked about him being notified about the grand jury Subpoena Enson received he states that Enson did call him but to discuss rent being due on a garage they shared and an hour later they met up and discussed it. He states that he did not move to Texas because he found out that he was being investigated but that his daughter and her mother lived there and he had been visiting regularly since they moved there in 2019. He states that when he visited Texas he would contract work there. He left the business he had here for 7 years and planned to move there before learning he was being investigated and the timing was just a coincidence.
The Trial began on November 6th and ended on November 17th which was followed by Jury deliberations until November 20th.
On November 20th, the Jury entered and immediately read the charge of 2nd Degree Murder and was found not guilty. On the charge of Voluntary manslaughter he was found guilty. The prosecution and the defense argued on his release where John Calcagni states that his client had spent 28 months on home confinement without incident and was hoping to spend Christmas with his family before sentencing. The judge felt his decision to leave to Texas after learning he was being investigated and now with a serious felony conviction he was much more incentivized to flee and he was remanded into custody. Jason Lopes was told to remove his tie and belt and was placed in handcuffs and remains in custody serving out his sentence in Rhode Island.
On April 10, 2026, Jason Lopes was sentenced to 30 years for the unlawful killing of Zackary Joesph Marshall. Twenty years to serve, ten years probation. He will receive time served before he was released on bail before the trial but does not include his time on home confinement. He will serve 1/3 of his sentence before being eligible to go before the parole board.
JUSTICE 
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