Man sentenced 32 years for killing ex-wife inside WA tavern

Bail set at $3M for Bellevue man accused of shooting wife

A man is accused of shooting his estranged wife inside Sam's Tavern in Bellevue.

BELLEVUE, Wash. - The man who shot and killed his estranged wife inside Sam’s Tavern in Bellevue in July 2021 was sentenced to nearly 32 years in prison.

According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Dylan Jennings was sentenced to 380 months in prison for the first-degree domestic violence murder of Anna "Maxx" Lopez on Friday.

The man who shot and killed his estranged wife inside Sam’s Tavern in Bellevue back in July of 2021 has been sentenced to nearly 32 years in prison. According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Dylan Jennings was sentenced 380 months in prison for the first-degree domestic violence murder of Anna

On July 5, 2021, Jennings carried out a plan to shoot and kill Lopez, his ex-wife, while she was finishing work at Sam’s Tavern. According to court documents, he and his wife were separated, and she had started dating someone else.

Jennings told investigators that he was angry that she was seeing someone and that a week and a half before the murder, he broke into his brother’s safe using a hacksaw to steal a gun inside, court documents say.

Investigators say he plotted for more than a week before driving to Sam’s Tavern and shooting his wife, who worked as an employee and was closing down the bar.

"During the interview with investigators, the defendant showed no remorse and blamed his estranged wife for leaving him and for dating someone else. He referred to his actions as ‘taking care of business,’" according to charging documents.

Jennings had also previously been convicted of several domestic violence charges in the past, including assault and unlawful imprisonment.

Officers with the Bellevue Police Department responded to this incident and took him into custody.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office stated that Jennings’ sentence for murder was at the high end of the sentencing range set by lawmakers, with an additional 60 months added for a firearm enhancement.