Andrea Vazquez – latest: Murder suspect Gabriel Esparza’s attorney says he’s scared as DA vows to seek justice
Authorities say Whittier teen was ‘randomly targeted’ before being found dead in Moreno Valley
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The suspect in Andrea Vazquez’s kidnapping and murder is reportedly “scared” after being hit with multiple felonies.
Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been charged with murder, kidnapping and attempted rape in connection with the death of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday.
Vazquez was randomly kidnapped while on a date with her boyfriend at Penn Park in Whittier.
While Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in the parked car, an armed man approached them and began shooting. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned, he “discovered blood” near it and Vazquez was gone.
Vazquez’s body was found the following day in Moreno Valley.
Mr Esparza’s attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez told FOX11 that the 20-year-old was “scared.”
“Everyone in this case is in shock, and everyone who knows him can’t believe that he has been charged with this crime,” Mr Rodriguez told the network in a statement, adding that Mr Esparza is “just beginning to understand what is going on.”
Vigil held for Andrea Vazquez
On Tuesday evening, members of the community held a candlelight vigil for 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez who was kidnapped and killed on 20 August.
Friends, family and associates of Vazquez gathered in Penn Park, where she was last seen.
Family is experiencing ‘grief and pain beyond description’
Officials say that her body was found late on Monday night and that the victim’s family were informed on Tuesday morning.
“This is not the outcome they wanted, but they do realize Whittier Police worked around the clock,” said Moses Castillo, a former LAPD detective and advocate for the family. “Their pain and grief is beyond description.”
The victim was shot and kidnapped from Penn Park in Whittier after she had been sitting in a parked car with her boyfriend.
Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez?
Andrea Vazquez was with her boyfriend at a California park when a gunman ambushed them and kidnapped the teen. The desperate search to save her has now ended in tragedy.
What we know about kidnap and murder of Andrea Vazquez
Andrea Vazquez was with her boyfriend at a California park when a gunman ambushed them and kidnapped the teen. The desperate search to save her has now ended in tragedy. Faiza Saqib reports
Son of LA County fire captain pleads not guilty to Andrea Vazquez murder
Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape.
Son of LA County fire captain pleads not guilty to Andrea Vazquez murder
Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape
ICYMI: What happened to Andrea Vazquez?
The horror unfolded just after midnight on Sunday 20 August when Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in a car at Penn Park in Whittier, police said.
Her boyfriend told police that an armed suspect then approached their vehicle and “fired a weapon in their direction,” police said.
Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned he discovered blood near his car and his girlfriend missing.
Vazquez has been kidnapped from the scene.
Faiza Saqib reports:
What we know about kidnap and murder of Andrea Vazquez
Andrea Vazquez was with her boyfriend at a California park when a gunman ambushed them and kidnapped the teen. The desperate search to save her has now ended in tragedy. Faiza Saqib reports
Loved ones mourn teen’s senseless death
Andrea Vazquez’s family members have opened up about her loss, just days after the teen was kidnapped and shot while on a date with her boyfriend at Penn Park in the city of Whittier.
Vazquez’s body was later found in Moreno Valley.
“It’s a terrible day for me today,” Vazquez’s mother Ana told CBS News. “I had a lot of hope to find her alive, hoping that God gave me the miracle and nothing happened.”
Andrea Vazquez’s GoFundMe tops $34,000
A GoFundMe for the family of Andrea Vazquez has raised over $20,000 in memory of the 19-year-old who was the victim of a random violent act.
“I am asking all our friends and family to help my family with the tragic loss of our beautiful Andrea,” the GoFundMe creator, Diana Ortiz, wrote in the description.
As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser had raised $34,258.
“We appreciate all the love, prayer, and support during this time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Andrea Vazquez’s family open up about devastating loss
“We’ve been here praying with my aunt and my uncle,” a cousin of Vazquez told FOX11 on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, we were notified of Andrea being found. We are devastated. My uncle and my aunt are heartbroken. We have good strong family support so we are just here trying to process this, it’s hard. She was our baby cousin, just 19 years old. Such a senseless act, it shouldn’t have happened”
Andrea Vazquez’s alleged killer enters not-guilty plea
Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez.
Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday.
Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court.