Loudon County stabbing case ends

LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - A man in Loudon County pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in a case that stems from 2022.

The announcement came from District Attorney General Russell Johnson. He said that on Sept. 22, 2022, Daniel Cisneros had an argument with his roommate, Eric Giovanni Santano-Lopez, over drug use and rent payments, which escalated.

According to Johnson, Santano-Lopez ended up stabbing Cisneros multiple times while he was on the phone with his wife, who heard the whole thing.

Santano-Lopez‘s case has been moving through the courts since then. Johnson said that during the last almost two years, Santano-Lopez had claimed he stabbed his roommate out of self defense. Johnson also said the suspect had his own knife injuries the night of the attack, but it isn’t clear whether or not they were self-inflicted.

Almost two years later, Santano-Lopez has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The crime comes with an increased sentence for Santano-Lopez, Johnson said, who is a range II offender. Santano-Lopez faces 10 years in custody.

Santano-Lopez, who is from Mexico, is likely to be departed from the country at the end of his sentence, Johnson said.