Two men pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and robbery charges stemming from the ambush-style shooting of up-and-coming 22-year-old Latin music singer DELAROSA inside a parked vehicle in Northridge
Francisco Otilio Gaytan, 27, and Benny LiconGomez, 28, are charged along with co-defendant Eduardo Lopez, 22, all of Northridge, with one count each of murder and two counts of attempted second-degree robbery stemming from the early morning shooting last Nov. 22 of the 22-year-old singer, whose name is Maria De La Rosa.
Gaytan and LiconGomez were arrested soon afterward, while Lopez is still being sought.
According to police and prosecutors, the shooting occurred around 1:25 a.m. that day 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 died at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Prosecutors said the other two victims suffered “critical” injuries but survived.
“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,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement last November announcing the charges.
“My office will pursue this case aggressively to ensure those responsible are held fully accountable for this senseless and deadly violence.”
DELAROSA released her debut single, “No Me Llames (Don’t Call Me)” last August. She had more than 40,000 followers on Instagram, where she had posted photos of herself and wrote that she was busy in the studio.
Gaytan and LiconGomez remain jailed without bail, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The two are due back in a San Fernando courtroom May 7. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against them to proceed to trial.
They could face potential life prison sentences if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.