An Azusa man has been accused of the brutal killing of his parents in a disturbing incident that has rattled the community. Gabriel Contreras, 29, faces charges of murder and assault with a deadly weapon after his parents, Linda Rodriguez and Arthur Contreras, were found dead in their home last Saturday.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, as reported by FOX 11, announced the charges against Contreras, who was arrested three days after the incident following a response to emergency calls from the family's home on N. Twintree Avenue, where deputies discovered a man covered in blood. This individual was later detained and identified as the son of the victims. Contreras, the suspected man, was also hospitalized in critical condition, although it remains unclear if he is the same person found at the scene.
Per the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the call to the family residence was due to reports of a person screaming, suggestive of domestic violence. After detaining Contreras, officers found the bodies of Rodriguez and Arthur Contreras bearing multiple stab wounds. The grisly discovery was further complicated when the medical examiner reported that Rodriguez had also been shot in the head, adding a firearm element to the already horrific scene. The information was corroborated by an update from KTLA, which also added that Contreras was pointing a firearm at two neighbors, though the circumstances of that aspect remain hazy.
The younger Contreras, now in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, has a hefty bail set at $2 million and was due for a court appearance in Pomona Municipal Court. While the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department continues its investigation led by Lieutenant C. Oakley, they have encouraged anyone with relevant information to contact the department's Homicide Bureau or to provide anonymous tips through the "Crime Stoppers" program.
