A heartbreaking tragedy has shaken the community of Azusa, California, just days before Christmas. A suspect is now in custody in connection with the brutal murder of 17-year-old Angelina Camillia Gonzales, a high school cheerleader whose bright future was tragically cut short.
Angelina’s family believes her ex-boyfriend is responsible for the horrific crime. They told media that he had picked her up on December 20 from a cheerleading banquet and taken her back to his house in Azusa. That same evening, around 10 p.m., officers from the Azusa Police Department found Angelina with multiple stab wounds. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but sadly could not be saved.
The family revealed that they tracked Angelina’s cell phone to her ex-boyfriend’s home that night. When her stepfather, Robert Caraballo, arrived at the scene, he was met with a chilling reality. “When I got there, there was already crime scene tape, forensics—everything,” he said. “I ran up to the officers, saying, ‘Hey, my daughter’s in there. I’m trying to find her. She’s not home.’ That’s when they told me to sit aside for a minute.”
Robert shared that he had repeatedly warned Angelina to stay away from her ex-boyfriend, but his stepdaughter had a “really big heart” and always wanted to see the good in people.
Angelina was just weeks away from her 18th birthday, which she would have celebrated on January 7. Her mother, Letica Carabello, expressed her overwhelming grief on a fundraising page she set up to help with funeral expenses. “She had such a great future ahead of her. She had a heart of gold,” Letica wrote. “She was my perfect, gorgeous Angel baby. I don’t even have the words to say. I can’t cope. I need her. Our family is devastated.”
The suspect, an 18-year-old acquaintance of Angelina and a resident of Azusa, has not been publicly named by the police. Authorities have confirmed his arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, and the district attorney’s office is currently reviewing the case.
As the investigation continues, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward by contacting their Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
This senseless loss has left a family and community reeling, with loved ones remembering Angelina as a kind-hearted young woman who had so much to look forward to in life.
