The son of a California fire captain accused of opening fire on a couple in a “random” attack kidnapped a 19-year-old woman and tried to rape her before dumping her body in a field, prosecutors said.
Gabriel Esparza, 20, pleaded not guilty last week to seven charges, including kidnapping, attempted rape and murder in the death of Andrea Vasquez. He was also charged with the attempted murder of the woman’s 19-year-old boyfriend, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release.
Other charges against Esparza include allegations of special circumstances of murder during kidnapping and murder during attempted rape and allegations that he himself used a gun during the crime.
“Our hearts ache for the terrible loss of a young life. The heinous nature of this crime, which involved the murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of an innocent young woman, shocked our community to its core,” said Gascón.
The DA vowed to “work tirelessly” to hold Esparza accountable for his “callous actions.”
Gabriel Esparza, 20, the son of a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges, including kidnapping, attempted rape and murder. Whittier Police Department
Esparza’s attorney, Ambrosio Rodriguez, described his client as a good son from a good family whose father was a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“Everybody in this case is shocked, and everybody who knows him can’t believe that he’s been charged with this crime,” the lawyer told Fox 11 station, adding that Esparza was “scared” and just beginning to understand what happened. happen
Following Esparza’s trial on Wednesday, Vasquez’s mother, Anna, told reporters that she was demanding justice for her daughter, who she said was “just starting her life.”
Esparza is accused of kidnapping and killing Andrea Vasquez, 19, after shooting the woman and her boyfriend. The Vasquez family
Andrea Vasquez is a rising sophomore at Fullerton College, where she studies fashion.
Just after midnight on August 20, Vasquez and her boyfriend were standing outside their car parked in Penn Park in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier when prosecutors said Esparza approached them and opened fire with a rifle.
As Vasquez’s boyfriend ran for help, Esparza allegedly kidnapped Vasquez and took off with him in the bed of his pickup truck.
“He drove her to a remote area of Moreno Valley in Riverside County where he attempted to rape her before dumping her body in a field,” a news release from the DA’s office said.
Vasquez’s body was found dumped in a field a day after she was kidnapped in front of her boyfriend.Facebook
When the boyfriend returned to the scene, he found blood on the ground and Vasquez missing, police previously said.
The next day, police arrested Esparza at his workplace in Lakewood. Hours later, Vasquez’s body was found in a field near Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street in Moreno Valley.
Authorities have recovered weapons they believe are connected to the crime and Esparza’s 2013 white Toyota Tacoma truck.
“It appears to be a random selection of victims,” Whittier Police Chief Aviv Bar said. “There is no known motive. There is no clear or known connection between the suspect and the victim.”
Esparza was ordered held without bail pending a preliminary hearing set for Oct. 25. If convicted of the charges against him, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
