Three Charged With Murder After Latin Singer, 22, Was Shot Dead in ‘Ambush Style’ Attack

Three people have been charged with murder after Latin musician Maria De La Rosa was shot and killed in an “ambush-style” attack in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 22.

Known professionally as DELAROSA, the singer was sitting in a car when she was fatally wounded over the weekend.

Francisco Otilio Gaytan, 27, Benny LiconGomez, 27, and Eduardo Lopez, 21, all of Northridge, California, were each charged with one felony count of murder and two felony counts of attempted second-degree robbery, according to the County of Los Angeles.

“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.

“My Office will pursue this case aggressively to ensure those responsible are held fully accountable for this senseless and deadly violence,” Hochman added.

After midnight on Saturday, the three men allegedly approached a parked vehicle and demanded money before opening fire on the three people inside, according to LA officials. The two other men in the car were reportedly left in critical condition.

According to ABC 7, De La Rosa was rushed to the Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

If convicted as charged, the defendants face a sentence of life in state prison without the possibility of parole.

Investigators fear the shootings could be gang related, per the New York Post.

Up-and-coming singer DELAROSA was just starting out and making a mark on the music world, having released her track “No Me Llames” in August, which means “don’t call me.”

Detectives are working to piece together a motive for the execution-style murder, and the case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.