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Two charged in killing of 25-year-old Pasadena City College student

A gang member and a 23-year-old woman have been charged in November's fatal shooting of a 25-year-old college student, according to authorities.

Victor Martinez, 22, and Normeli Leon Lopes have each been charged with one count of murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Martinez has also been charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Both pleaded not guilty Jan. 6.

Lopes and Martinez are accused of driving up to Adrian Posueloz and a friend on Nov. 29 in Montecito Heights.

Police said Martinez got out of a green Toyota Corolla and asked, “Where you from?” prompting Posueloz and his friend to try to run away.

Posueloz ran about 50 feet before he was struck by gunfire.

Police believe that Martinez was the gunman and that Lopes was the driver. Lopes and Martinez are Latino, according to online L.A. County Sheriff’s Department records.

Posueloz was a student at Pasadena City College, his father said, and had recently decided to study psychology. Posueloz worked in a nursing home in Alhambra. He loved basketball and rooted for the Miami Heat.

Police said that witness statements led them to Lopes and Martinez, who were arrested on suspicion of murder in December and November, respectively.

Lopes and Martinez are due in court for a preliminary hearing April 5, according to online records.

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.

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