QuickTake:

Edgar Solorio Lopez is now charged in connection with the deaths of Randy and Pam Fultz, who were walking when they were struck twice by an SUV on Sixth Street in Springfield.

A Springfield man already charged with murder in connection with a stabbing death now has been charged with two additional counts of murder in connection with the deaths of two pedestrians in a hit-and-run collision.

A Lane County grand jury returned an indictment Thursday, Sept. 24, charging Edgar Solorio Lopez, 36, with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Pam Fultz after “having intentionally caused the death of” Randy Fultz, Pam’s husband.

The grand jury also indicted Lopez on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with Randy Fultz. The married Springfield couple were known for their volunteer efforts at local churches.

In Oregon, a murder charge can be upgraded to first-degree murder when there is more than one victim in what’s considered to be “the same criminal episode.” 

Under Oregon law, a person convicted of first-degree murder may be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Lopez also faces a charge of failure to perform duties of a driver to injured persons in connection with the fatal Aug. 6 collision on Sixth Street near the G Street intersection in Springfield.

The grand jury also returned a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 7 stabbing death of Glen Thuleson, 60. 

Lopez had previously been arrested and charged with Thuleson’s murder, which Springfield police have described as a random attack in front of a business in the 2800 block of Gateway Street. The area is filled with retail shops and stores.

The Fultzes, both 73, had been walking near their home when they were both struck just before 9 p.m. by a white SUV, according to Springfield police.

The vehicle allegedly driven by Lopez continued on Sixth Street without stopping at the G Street intersection, striking a Toyota Prius and then making a U-turn, Springfield police said.

Police said the white SUV again struck the pedestrians before driving away from the collision. 

Randy Fultz died at the scene, while Pam Fultz died Aug. 24 after being hospitalized from injuries sustained in the collision.

A friend of the Fultz family, Deanna Trujillo, associate pastor at City of Destiny Church, told Lookout Eugene-Springfield last month she did not know of any connection between Lopez and the Fultzes.

The couple, married for more than 20 years, “were the same inside the church, outside the church,” Trujillo said. “You talk to their kids, they were the same inside their house, and that’s beautiful. That’s a beautiful legacy to leave behind.”

A court hearing for Lopez is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28.