A shocking revelation emerged on Wednesday in the case of the man accused of abducting and murdering 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez in Los Angeles.
Prosecutors disclosed that Gabriel Esparza, the suspect, allegedly attempted to rape Vazquez as she lay dying. The incident occurred after Esparza shot and kidnapped Vazquez in a "randomly targeted" attack at Penn Park in Whittier, just outside Los Angeles.
According to Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascn, Esparza then drove Vazquez to a remote area in Moreno Valley, Riverside County, where he made the attempted sexual assault before discarding her body in a field. Esparza now faces charges of kidnapping to commit rape, attempted forcible rape, murder, and other related offenses. He pleaded not guilty and is currently being held without bail.
Gascn expressed his deep concern over the "heinous nature of this crime" against an innocent young woman, stating that it has deeply shaken the community. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday when Esparza allegedly approached Vazquez and her boyfriend, who were sitting on the trunk of their car, and opened fire with a rifle. Vazquez's boyfriend managed to escape to safety, but upon his return to the car, he discovered a trail of blood and Vazquez missing.
Authorities believe that Esparza then fled the scene with Vazquez, who was gravely injured, in the bed of his Toyota Tacoma truck. Vazquez's sister, Edlyn Vazquez, used a phone tracking app to trace her sister's phone, which was moving along the 60 Freeway towards Riverside. However, the signal was lost in Moreno Valley, frustrating their attempts to locate her. Eventually, they found blood at the last known location of the phone, near the World Logistics Center Parkway.
After an extensive search, Vazquez's lifeless body was discovered the following day, not far from where her phone had last pinged. Esparza was apprehended at his workplace in Lakewood on the same day. Edlyn Vazquez expressed her devastation and grief in a heartfelt tribute to her sister on Facebook, describing her as a beautiful angel and expressing her love until they meet again.
Emily Martinez, a relative of the victim, shared with Fox News Digital that Vazquez was adored by their entire family and had aspirations of pursuing a career in cosmetology. The tragic loss of Andrea Vazquez has left her loved ones shattered, and the community reeling from the brutality of the crime committed against her.
Login