Vigil honors woman, teen killed in Lakewood murder-suicide
LAKEWOOD — A candlelight vigil was held in Lakewood on Friday night to honor the memory of two victims of a murder/suicide in which a man is accused of shooting his wife and one of his daughters to death before turning the gun on himself.
Deputies responded around 8 a.m. Thursday to the 5800 block of Lorelei Avenue, near South Street, to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. They were met outside the home by a “distraught” woman, while inside they found three dead people — a man, woman and a 17-year-old girl, Det. Daniel Vizcarra told reporters at the scene.
Los Angeles County coroner’s officials identified the dead man Friday as 52-year-old Hector Alfaro, who was found on the floor in the den of the home from a gunshot wound to the upper body, according to the sheriff’s Lakewood station.
The other victims were Alfaro’s 48-year-old wife, Roxana Rodriguez, and his 17-year-old daughter, Sienna Alfaro, who were found in separate bedrooms, according to the sheriff’s department. Both were also identified by the county medical examiner’s office on Friday.
Sheriff’s officials said Alfaro’s older daughter, age 19, was asleep in the home when she was awoken by gunfire. Alfaro then fired multiple shots at his older daughter, but missed, they said. He then “shot himself while standing near his 19-year-old daughter,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Two weapons were recovered at the scene.
Sienna Alfaro played for Beach Futbol Club, and her teammate Hazel Ferman said at the Friday night vigil that Sienna was “a ray of sunshine. She’s a very jolly person,” Ferman said. “Her smile would bright up the room. Her energy was just out of this world, man like she would walk in, even though she’s a shy girl, when she would smile is like everybody knew that we just connected.”
The Alfaros also had an older daughter, Desiree Aguilera, whose husband Andrew set up a GoFundMe to help the surviving sisters with expenses related to the deaths.
“This devastating loss has left behind their surviving children, who are now facing the world without the people who meant everything to them,” he wrote.
As of Saturday evening, the GoFundMe had raised more than $78,000 of an $80,000 goal.
There was no word on what may have prompted the shooting.
Anyone with additional information regarding about the case was urged to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Anyone experiencing or at risk of domestic violence can obtain help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.