Azusa family mourns 17-year-old cheerleader stabbed to death by man her family warned her about
A 17-year-old Azusa High School cheerleader was stabbed to death on Friday evening, and family members say they warned her about the suspect — her ex-boyfriend.
Angelina Gonzales is remembered for her smile and love for cheerleading, music and cooking, as well as her determination after she decided to join her school's wrestling team earlier this year.
Her older brother, Ruben Torres, says that she had just gone to a cheerleading banquet that evening but never came home.
"It was normal, she was with her friends and it was a normal night," he said. "Nothing was out of the ordinary with her coach and team."
However, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators say that she was stabbed to death later that evening at around 10 p.m.
They arrested the suspected killer, an 18-year-old man, near N. Soldano Avenue. Deputies say that he was an "acquaintance" of Gonzales. Family members say it was her ex, who had picked her up from the banquet.
Torres says that the investigators haven't yet given them full details, but they showed video of her getting into his car that evening.
One witness recounted the moments that she heard Gonzales screaming outside of her home. She ran outside and saw her lying face down on the sidewalk while the suspect ran away.
"He ran out with no shirt on. Got in his car, backed it up, almost hit the car behind him," the person said. "I think they just, they were arguing."
Friends and family stopped by a makeshift memorial on Monday to honor Gonzales' memory. Among those was her wrestling coach, Albert Fuentes.
"She just had her first competition," Fuentes said. "She competed for the first time and she got her first win. She was so excited and so proud."
Her stepfather, Robert Caraballo, was also on hand at the memorial. He says that he tried his best to protect her from the relationship.
"No parent should bury their child," he said. "I'm doing this because I want my daughter to be recognized, her legacy to be recognized and also for other teens that might be going through the same thing."
Family says that despite their warnings, Gonzales still tried to see the good in everyone, including the suspected killer.
"She was just so loving, like, even in people like him. She tried to see the good in people," Torres said. ""He took the most beautiful person in our lives from us."
They're now planning her funeral, just weeks ahead of what would have been her 18th birthday. They're also planning a fundraiser on Saturday at a VFW post near where she was killed.