LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 24-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were arrested for investigation of the murder of a popular high school soccer player who apparently was lured out of his home and gunned down, police said Tuesday.
Leaders of a special investigative task force said both suspects, Jason Schuman of Calabasas and Elizabeth Ibarra of the San Fernando Valley, have extensive criminal records, but they did not immediately specify a motive for the killing of a student they described as being on the right track in life.
Francisco Javier Rodriguez Jr., a 17-year-old soccer goalie at El Camino Real High School in Canoga Park, was shot on Jan. 11.
Relatives said he was killed after answering the door and stepping outside, where a red-haired woman had been seen.
Investigators have said Rodriguez's killing was not random, and resulted in numerous tips.
"There's a specific anonymous tip that came to us and we need that person to come forward, identify himself or herself, and provide us with additional information that we need to solidify this case," said Deputy Chief Jorge Villegas.
Rodriguez's family said he had no gang affiliation and his life centered around soccer. Days before the shooting, Rodriguez came back home from a soccer tournament in Hawaii where he had spent a week and a half.
Schuman's record includes assault with a deadly weapon, battery, narcotics violations and forgery. Ibarra's record includes forgery, battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and identity theft.
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