Queens Man Convicted in Brutal Pawn Shop Owner Slaying

Rodolfo Lopez-Portillo, 51, has been found guilty of murder and robbery in the March 2022 bludgeoning death of Arasb Shoughi, the 60-year-old owner of Global Pawn Shop in Queens, New York. A jury delivered the guilty verdict after a day of deliberations, concluding a four-week trial. Lopez-Portillo faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Fatal Attack

According to trial testimony and charges presented by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the incident occurred on March 28, 2022, shortly before 1 p.m. Lopez-Portillo entered the Global Pawn Shop on Jamaica Avenue, disguised in a black face mask, hood, gloves, and sunglasses. He initially sold two watches to Shoughi for cash. As Shoughi turned to place the watches in a display case, Lopez-Portillo removed one glove, revealed what appeared to be a metal pipe, and struck Shoughi on the back of the head. The victim fell, and Lopez-Portillo repeatedly assaulted him before stealing coins and jewelry from the back of the shop with his ungloved hand. He then stole a ring and other personal items from Shoughi before striking him several more times as he fled the premises.

The severity of Shoughi’s head trauma was so extreme that investigators initially suspected a gunshot wound. Shoughi was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries on April 17, 2022, over three weeks after the brutal assault. He was one of two jewelers killed on the job in 2022, as noted in the Jewelers’ Security Alliance annual report.

Apprehension and Evidence

Following the murder, Lopez-Portillo fled to Baltimore, Maryland. He was apprehended approximately one month later, on May 5, at a Greyhound bus station. Authorities recovered his suitcase from a residence in Baltimore, which contained coins, watches, and jewelry. Investigators identified some of the coins as belonging to the stolen property from Shoughi’s pawn shop. Additionally, fingerprints found at the crime scene matched those of the defendant.

Video surveillance tracked Lopez-Portillo’s movements from the pawn shop and showed him leaving his nearby apartment building earlier on the day of the murder. He was extradited back to Queens to face justice.

Conviction and Sentencing

Lopez-Portillo was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree robbery, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. His sentencing is scheduled for May 11. He is facing a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The District Attorney’s office, in collaboration with the Maryland State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, secured the conviction and apprehension of the defendant.