Bio

Luis Morine Mata was born on July 10, 1951. Public details about his early life are limited, but later court filings described a troubled upbringing. His attorneys claimed he suffered abuse as a child and had neurological problems that affected his mental health.

Before the murder case, Mata lived in Arizona with ties to the Phoenix area and was closely associated with his brother, Alonzo Mata. He also had a prior felony conviction, which was later used against him during sentencing.

Murder Story

On March 10, 1977, Debra Lopez was at a Phoenix apartment shared by Luis Mata and his brother, Alonzo. When she tried to leave, the brothers attacked her, beat her, and sexually assaulted her.

After Lopez lost consciousness, they drove her to a remote area. Prosecutors said Luis Mata then killed her by cutting her throat with a knife.

Both brothers were arrested and convicted of rape and murder. Luis Mata was convicted on October 17, 1977, sentenced to death on December 9, 1977, and resentenced to death in 1978 after further court proceedings. Alonzo Mata’s death sentence was later reduced to life in prison.

After nearly two decades of appeals, Luis Morine Mata was executed by lethal injection in Arizona on August 22, 1996.