A 20-year-old man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murder and other charges stemming from the kidnapping and death of a young woman who was attacked at Penn Park in Whittier and whose body was found a day later in Riverside County.
Gabriel Sean Esparza of Whittier was arrested Monday afternoon at his workplace in Lakewood, the Whittier Police Department said Tuesday. He is suspected in the death of Andrea Vazquez, 19, whose remains were found late Monday night in Moreno Valley.
Esparza was ordered to remain jailed without bail pending his next court appearance Oct. 25, when a date will be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.
Whittier police said they recovered a weapon believed to have been used in the crime, and Esparza’s vehicle, a 2013 White Toyota Tacoma truck, was also impounded.
According to police, the shooting occurred early Sunday morning, shortly after midnight, at the parking stalls area of Penn Park at 13950 Penn St.
“An adult male witness reported that while at the park with an adult female companion, an armed suspect approached their vehicle and fired a weapon in their direction,” police said in a statement.
“The male witness ran from the location and upon his return, discovered blood near his vehicle and his female companion was missing,” police said.
On Monday, police sought the public’s help to find Vazquez. On Tuesday afternoon, police announced the arrest.
“Throughout the investigation, an ongoing search for Andrea Vazquez took place in large open land areas of Moreno Valley,” police said.
“At 11:50 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2023, detectives located the body of Andrea Vasquez in a vegetation field off Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street in Moreno Valley,” police added. “At this time, it appears that Andrea Vazquez and her male companion were randomly targeted by the suspect at Penn Park.”
Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the police tipline at 562-567-9299.