Three men were charged with murder and robbery in connection with the weekend shooting of up-and-coming 22-year-old Latin music singer DELAROSA inside a parked vehicle in Northridge, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Francisco Otilio Gaytan and Benny LiconGomez, both 27, and Eduardo Lopez, 21, all of Northridge, were charged Tuesday with murder and two counts of attempted second-degree robbery stemming from the early Saturday morning shooting that killed 22-year-old singer DELAROSA, whose real name is Maria De La Rosa.
Gaytan was arrested Saturday and was being held in lieu of $2.18 million bail. LiconGomez, who was arrested Sunday, was being held on $2.28 million bail. Lopez remains at large.
According to police and prosecutors, the shooting occurred around 1:40 p.m. Saturday near Bryant Street and Tampa Avenue, where the three suspects allegedly approached a parked car, demanded money from the three people inside and then opened fire.
De La Rosa was fatally shot and died at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Prosecutors said the other two victims suffered "critical" injuries but survived.
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"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," District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. "My office will pursue this case aggressively to ensure those responsible are held fully accountable for this senseless and deadly violence."
LiconGomez was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at the San Fernando Courthouse, but the hearing was postponed until Jan. 7, the same day Gaytan is set for arraignment.
DELAROSA released her debut single, "No Me Llames (Don't Call Me)" in August. She has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram, where she recently posted photos of herself and wrote that she was busy in the studio.
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