Insets, top: Jesse Avalos, left, and Eduardo Robles; bottom: Amanda Nicole Lopez (Los Angeles County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Anthony Velasquez during a sentencing hearing for the murders of Avalos, Robles and Lopez (KABC).
A California man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murders of three people over four years because he felt they disrespected him.
Anthony Velasquez, 35, was sentenced Friday to 150 years in prison for the killings of Jesse Avalos in 2014, Eduardo Robles in 2015 and Amanda Nicole Lopez in 2018. A Los Angeles jury found him guilty of three counts of first-degree murder Wednesday after deliberating for 5 1/2 hours, local ABC affiliate KABC reported.
“You, Anthony, are and always will be nothing more than certified homicidal serial killer who has no heart and no conscience,” Amanda Lopez, Rozelle Lopez’s mother told the court.
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Despite the last killing in 2018, it took another three years before investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office to publicly announce the three slayings were related. Detectives offered an $80,000 reward for information leading to an arrest during an August 2021 press conference.
The first killing occurred on Feb. 11, 2014, near the intersection of Telegraph Road and Arizona Avenue in East Los Angeles. Avalos, 34, received a phone call shortly before 11 p.m. on Feb. 10, 2014, about someone who needed to jumpstart his vehicle, which he did about 15 minutes later. A few hours passed before Avalos was found dead in his SUV in the area, according to cops.
Robles, 38, was killed on July 6, 2015. He got into a fight with a man who would later be identified as Velasquez during a party at a home in the 4300 block of Eagle Street in East LA. After the fight, the suspect hopped a fence, walked to Robles’ car, and punctured his four tires. Five minutes later, Velasquez walked up to Robles and shot him several times in the chest. It was the same gun he used to kill Avalos, prosecutors said.
Amanda Lopez, 27, died on April 22, 2018. She was living in a homeless encampment near the East Los Angeles Courthouse. Velasquez got out of a Chrysler PT Cruiser, walked up to Lopez’s tent and fired inside as she slept, striking her in her torso and killing her.
All three of the killings occurred within roughly 2 miles of each other and had similar suspect descriptions.
Authorities arrested Velasquez and his father, Manuel Velasquez, now 55, after the press conference. Prosecutors said the elder Velasquez helped his son kill Robles and helped get rid of evidence.
Investigators believe the father was there for all three killings and served as the getaway driver for at least Lopez’s murder.
“Usually fathers protect their kids,” Lt. Hugo Reynaga told The Los Angeles Times at the time. “Well, I guess he protected Anthony from getting arrested.”
Manuel Velasquez pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and accessory after the fact in February and was sentenced to over 11 years in prison, the Los Angles Daily News reported.
At Friday’s sentencing, family members lamented the loss of their loved ones.
“There is not one day that I don’t think about my dad,” Eduardo Avalos’ daughter told the court. “I won’t ever have my dad and daughter dance. I won’t have my dad to walk me down the aisle.”
Alberto Luperon contributed to this report.
