Three individuals have been charged with murder in the killing of singer DELAROSA, who was shot and killed over the weekend in what prosecutors described as “an ambush-style attack.”
Maria De La Rosa, 22, also known as DELAROSA, was sitting in a parked car with two others in the Northridge section of Los Angeles shortly before 1:25 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, when three men allegedly approached the vehicle, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman in a statement released on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
The three guys, identified as Francisco Otilio Gaytan, 27, Benny LiconGomez, 27, and Eduardo Lopez, 21, all from Northridge, allegedly demanded money before firing numerous rounds at the occupants, killing all three, Hochman said.
According to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department, De La Rosa suffered gunshot wounds and died at a local hospital. The other two victims suffered critical injuries.
Gaytan was detained later in the day. LiconGomez was detained on Sunday, November 23. Lopez now has an arrest warrant.
“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,” Hochman said in a written statement.
The three males were each charged with one felony count of murder and two felonies for attempted second-degree robbery.
The motivation is unclear.
De La Rosa’s farewell Instagram post, on October 30, gave her 40,000 followers a preview of some new songs.
“I’m cooking in Stu 🎶👩🏻🍳, don’t call me 🪄🪞🐩. Now is the time… GAME TIME BABY,” she captioned the post in Spanish, which translates to “Busy cooking in the Stu. Do not call me. It’s almost that time.
De La Rosa released her final single, “No Me Llames,” in August.
The beloved singer has received several tributes on social media. Sharik, a Colombian reggaeton performer, wrote in Spanish “Te amaré siempre” — “I will always love you,” according to NBC 4 Los Angeles.
Juan Moises, the main singer of Los Gemelos de Sinaloa, commemorated her death with an emoji of three birds.
While De La Rosa’s family, friends, and admirers grieve her loss, the suspects remain in jail awaiting their impending arraignments.
Gaytan will be arraigned in the San Fernando Valley Courthouse on January 7, 2026. His bail is set at $2,180,000.
LiconGomez is set to be arraigned on Wednesday, November 26 in the same courthouse. He is being jailed for $2,280,000 bail.
Lopez’s arraignment will be arranged for a later date if he is arrested, with bail set at $2,205,000.
If convicted as charged, all defendants will face life in state prison without the possibility of release.
It is unknown whether the three have hired attorneys to speak on their behalf.
Anyone with information on this event can contact Operations Valley Bureau Homicide, Detective Simonyan, or Detective Lopez at (818) 374-9550.
