Couple sentenced in 2012 gang murder in Lake Los Angeles

A man and a woman were sentenced March 16 for their role in the gang-motivated killing of Christian Bojorquez, 21, in Lake Los Angeles in 2012, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. 

Rudolfo Alcantar, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole; Rosie Lisa Morales was sentenced to 48 years to life in prison. 

On Aug. 5,  2016,  a jury found Alcantar guilty of first-degree murder. Jurors also found true the special circumstance of lying in wait as well as two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm.  On Aug. 4, 2016, a different jury found Morales guilty of second-degree murder and arson. 

The juries also found that both defendants committed the crimes for the benefit of a street gang. 

On March 5, 2012, prosecutors said Bojorquez was lured, under false pretenses, by Morales to a remote area of Lake Los Angeles. When he arrived, Morales and Alcantar shot, beat and carjacked Bojorquez, prosecutors added. 

Morales and Alcantar then left him near the intersection of 180th Street East and Avenue M, according to prosecutors. Bojorquez was found by a passerby and was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition, but he died of his wounds nine days later, according to court testimony. 

Two days after the attack, Morales set fire to Bojorquez’s vehicle in Pearblossom in an attempt to destroy evidence of the murder. According to witness testimony, Borjorquez, who was associated with a gang, was targeted because the gang deemed him a snitch after a he had an interaction with police a year before. 

Contact the Homicide Report, and follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.