Three men have been charged with the murder of rising Latin music singer DELAROSA, who was shot dead last weekend in Los Angeles in what authorities described as an ambush.
Francisco Otilio Gaytan, 27; Benny LiconGomez, 27, and Eduardo Lopez, 21, were charged with felony murder in the killing of the singer, whose legal name was Maria De La Rosa, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
“This was a ruthless and targeted attack that stole the life of a young woman and artist and inflicted profound lifelong trauma on her family and the two survivors,” L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
De La Rosa, 22, was fatally shot in a car in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Northridge on Nov. 22. Witnesses said two men opened fire on the vehicle, killing De La Rosa and critically wounding two other people in the car.
Gaytan was first arrested on the day of the shooting, and LiconGomez was captured the next day, authorities said. Lopez remains at large, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Investigators said Gaytan, LiconGomez and Lopez, all Northridge residents, approached the vehicle around 1:30 a.m. on the day of the shooting and demanded money. They opened fire into the car shortly afterward, according to police.
Gaytan and LiconGomez were each held on $2 million bail. LiconGomez’s arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, while Gaytan’s was set for Jan. 7. In addition to murder, each man was charged with two counts of second-degree attempted robbery.
“My office will pursue this case aggressively to ensure those responsible are held fully accountable for this senseless and deadly violence,” Hochman said.
DELAROSA released her final song, “No Me Llames,” in August and had promised her fans that more new music was in the works.
