A 19-year-old Alhambra resident pleaded not guilty Wednesday to capital murder and robbery charges for allegedly gunning down a 22-year-old student and restaurant worker as he left an East Los Angeles liquor store after buying some beer.
Abraham Caberea is charged with the Nov. 7 killing of Rene Alejandro Lupian, who was shot in the 900 block of South Concourse Avenue.
The murder count includes the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery, along with firearm allegations. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Caberea, who is additionally charged with a second-degree robbery count.
Also charged with robbery — but not with the killing — are 20-year-old co-defendants Wayne Andrew Seare of Montebello and Samantha Irene Castillo of East Los Angeles. Seare is additionally charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact.
Prosecutors allege the three followed Lupian from the liquor store in the 2400 block of Whittier Boulevard to the nearby 900 block of South Concourse Avenue, where they robbed him before Caberea allegedly shot him to death.
Caberea and Seare were arrested on Dec. 21, several after sheriff’s investigators and members of Lupian’s family held a news conference at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles to publicize a $20,000 reward in the case. Castillo was arrested Jan. 9.
Lupian’s attacker struck him in the head with what may have been the butt of a gun and then shot him twice before running off with his backpack.
“It appears that Rene gave up a backpack he was carrying but resisted giving a gold chain and cross that was given to him by his grandmother as a keepsake,” said sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Captain Christopher Bergner.
The family heirloom that the victim wore around his neck was found on the ground where he died. Authorities believe the victim may have been fighting with the suspect to keep it in his possession.
Detectives said video surveillance footage showed the driver of a white compact car watching Lupian closely as he stopped into the store and then put beer that he had purchased in his backpack. A woman could be seen getting into the car just before it followed Lupian onto South Concourse Avenue, and a witness saw a white compact car leaving the scene, investigators said.
Lupian was described by family, friends, and co-workers at an In-N-Out restaurant in Pico Rivera as beloved. He had applied to a trade school to pursue his dream of becoming an architect.
He studied literature at Antioch University and enjoyed writing poetry and music, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who recommended the reward for information on the gunman.
Caberea, Seare and Castillo remain jailed while awaiting their next appearance in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Feb. 27. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.