Man accused of killing 19-year-old woman who was ‘kidnapped’ from boyfriend’s car in ‘random’ attack arrested
Andrea Vazquez and her boyfriend were allegedly attacked by a gunman in a park after midnight; The friend reportedly fled and when he returned he “discovered blood near his vehicle” and Vazquez was missing.
The body of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez has been found and the man who authorities believe responsible for her death has been arrested.
Gabriel Esparza, a 20-year-old resident of Whittier, California, was arrested Monday in connection with her death and the “attempted murder of her boyfriend.” He was later charged by the police Los Angeles County District Attorney with one count of murder, one count of first degree, first degree and premeditated attempted murder; one count of kidnapping to commit rape; one count of kidnapping; one count of assault with intent to rape; and two counts of attempted rape.
Esparza pleaded not guilty during an indictment on Wednesday, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 25. He is being held without bail and faces the maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Louisville Police Department
BodyCam video shows kidnapped woman tied by the neck to the floor in a barricaded house while her cries for help were heard by neighbors
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The search for Vazquez began Sunday after police responded to a shooting and kidnapping at a Whittier park just after midnight. According to the prosecutor’s press release, Vazquez and her boyfriend were together in the park when Esparza allegedly approached their vehicle and began “shooting at the victims.”
The friend fled and when he returned he “discovered blood near his vehicle and his female companion was missing”. said Whittier police in a first statement. “As he turned to ask for help, my sister was kidnapped at that moment,” said the victim’s sister, Edlyn Vazquez ABC 7.
The prosecutor’s release said Esparza allegedly abducted Vazquez from the scene and “ran off with her in the back of his pickup truck” to Riverside County, where he “attempted to rape her before dumping her body in a field.”
Thomasville Police Department
The video shows a woman accused of planning an assassination attempt on her husband while arguing with him ahead of the Bahamas trip
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Her body was discovered just before midnight on August 21, hours after Esparza was arrested at his place of work that day. A weapon believed to have been used in the crime and Esparza’s vehicle were seized, according to Whittier police.
On Tuesday, police believed both Vazquez and her boyfriend were “assaulted indiscriminately.”
“It makes no sense. Nothing makes sense,” the victim’s mother said NBC4. “We don’t know this person. When I see the picture of this guy who killed her, I see him and why did he do it? Who is he? why my daughter There are so many things on my mind.”
“Today is the worst day of my life. We received the news that my daughter passed away,” she added at a press conference. “We had high hopes that she was alive.”
A GoFundMe was set up to support the family.