(LOS ANGELES) — Three men have been charged with murder in the “ambush-style” shooting of a 22-year-old Latin singer, officials said Wednesday.
The victim, Maria De La Rosa, was known professionally as DELAROSA, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which announced the charges in the fatal shooting that occurred in the Northridge neighborhood over the weekend.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the suspects allegedly approached a parked car, “demanded money, then opened fire, striking all three occupants,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
De La Rosa was taken to a hospital where she died from gunshot wounds, police said. The other two victims suffered critical injuries, prosecutors said.
Two of the suspects — Francisco Otilio Gaytan and Benny LiconGomez, both 27 — were arrested over the weekend, while an arrest warrant has been issued for the third — 21-year-old Eduardo Lopez, prosecutors said.
The three suspects, all of Northridge, have each been charged with one felony count of murder and two felony counts of attempted second-degree robbery, prosecutors said.
LiconGomez is being held on $2,280,000 bail and is set to be arraigned on Wednesday. Gaytan’s bail was set at $2,180,000 and he is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 7, 2026.
Lopez’s bail has been set at $2,205,000, with an arraignment to be scheduled at a later date.
If convicted as charged, the suspects face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“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 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.”
De La Rosa was a Latin singer growing in popularity with about 40,000 Instagram followers.
The victim’s mother, Deyanira De La Rosa, told Los Angeles ABC station KABC that her daughter had been out with friends when they were shot.
“How do [you do] that to her?” her mother said. “Who do this to her? Because this is not normal.”
“She was so young,” her mother said.
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