An attorney for the sole suspect in Andrea Vazquez’s kidnapping and murder has said that his client is “scared” after being hit with multiple felony charges.
Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, is facing charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted rape in the death of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Mr Esparza is accused of randomly kidnapping Vazquez last week while she was on a date with her boyfriend at Penn Park in Whittier, California. Vaquez was shot and yanked out of a parked car and her body was found days later by detectives in Moreno Valley.
Mr Esparza’s attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez told FOX11 that his client was “scared” and “just beginning to understand what is going on.”
“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 said.
It comes as DA George Gascón said in a statement that his office “will work tirelessly to hold Mr Esparza accountable for his callous actions.” Mr Esparza, the son of an LA fire captain, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is being held without bond.