By Marielis Acevedo
Aug 23, 2023, 14:29 PM EDT
The suspect in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old Hispanic woman in a park in Southern California has been arrested and charged with various charges.
The Whittier Police Department said in a statement Tuesday that it arrested Gabriel Esparza, 20, Monday afternoon for his alleged involvement in the murder of Andrea Vasquez.
Esparza is charged with shooting Vasquez to death on Aug. 20 shortly after midnight in the Penn Park parking area.
The young woman was in the park with a man, unofficially identified by relatives as her boyfriend, when the gunman approached the vehicle and fired at them. They both fled the scene. When Vásquez’s companion returned, there was blood near his car, but the girl’s body was not there.
Following a search of open areas of land in Moreno Valley, agents found Vasquez’s body at about 11:50 pm Monday in a patch of brush at Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street.
Esparza was safely arrested at his place of employment in the city of Lakewood.
The man, who would have acted randomly, remains in custody without bail on charges of murder and kidnapping.
A weapon believed to be the one used in the crime was recovered. Additionally, Esparza’s vehicle, a white 2013 Toyota Tacoma, was also impounded.
The authorities have not established the motive for the crime.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is leading the case.