Man and woman are charged in the killing of marijuana dispensary worker, 21, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in Mojave Desert two months after his disappearance
A man and a woman have been charged with the killing of a 21-year-old Los Angeles marijuana dispensary worker whose body was found in a shallow grave in the Mojave Desert nearly two months after his disappearance.
Ethan Astaphan, 27, of San Gabriel, and Sonita Heng, 20, of Los Angeles, were arrested by LAPD detectives and SWAT officers last Thursday in connection to the death of Juan Carlos Hernandez.
Astaphan pleaded not guilty on Monday after being charged with murder, while Heng pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact. They were being held on $10million bail each.
Two people have been arrested and charged in connection to the killing of Juan Carlos Hernandez in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old college student was found dead on November 15
Authorities haven't released a possible motive or other details about the killing.
Hernandez, a student at El Camino College, was reported missing on the night of September 22, after finishing an afternoon shift at the at VIP Collective dispensary on the corner of Western Avenue and 81st Street.
A few minutes after 10pm, Hernandez sent his mother a text message saying he would be home soon, but he never made it back, reported Los Angeles Times.
The car he was driving, a 2020 Honda Civic belonging to his mother, was found abandoned a couple of miles from his work two days later.
At the time of his disappearance, Hernandez, known to his loved ones as 'Cookie,' was preparing to transfer to the University of Southern California to pursue an engineering degree.
'He’s a great kid, smart, kind, great personality, always helpful,' his mother, Yajaira Hernandez, told KTLA in late September.
Hernandez went missing after finishing work at a marijuana dispensary on September 22
Shortly after Hernandez was reported missing, someone tried to extort his family in exchange for his safe return, but police said it was a hoax
Less than a week after Hernandez was reported missing, the LAPD said that someone contacted the man's family and demanded a ransom in exchange for his safe return.
A subsequent investigation by the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division determined that the persons who tried to extort the missing man's family had no connection to his disappearance.
On November 15, LAPD detectives, sheriff's deputies and FBI agents found Hernandez's body buried in a remote area off Afton Canyon Road near Interstate 15 between Barstow and Baker.
It is unclear at this time what led law enforcement officials to that location.
'This isn’t the outcome we ever wanted or thought we’d get, but I still feel blessed that we found his body,' Yajaira Hernandes said.
Astaphan faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted of murder. Heng faces three years in prison.