Simone WilsonThe 19-year-old woman arrested yesterday on suspicion of luring El Camino High goalie Francisco Rodriguez to his death last week — Elizabeth Ibarra, of the San Fernando Valley — left a telling Facebook trail.
LAPD detectives haven't determined whether her relationship with Rodriguez, or with the older man who is believed to have shot the well-loved 17-year-old, was a romantic one. All they know is there was a “significant” connection between the three.
But here's what we've gleaned from Ibarra's Facebook:
Her relationship status is listed as “It's complicated.” She posted a photo in December 2010 of a newborn baby lying next to a man who is unmistakably 24-year-old Jason Schumann of Calabasas, also arrested by LAPD yesterday as the suspected gunman in the Rodriguez murder.
Credit: Kinkz Elizabeth Ibarra via Facebook
The photo is captioned “DELANO WiTH HiS DADDY :'] ♥ H0W AD0RABLE!!”
Compare the facial structure and hair to the LAPD's booking shot of Schumann — they're a perfect match.
And we're not sure what this means, but about a month after that photo was posted, Ibarra had somewhat of a breakdown in its comment section:
The same Alejandra Locz from that back-and-forth was dumbfounded to find out, after yesterday's LAPD press conference, that her friend Elizabeth was being fingered for the slaying. She went from trash-talking Rodriguez' mysterious killers to not knowing what to think:
Based on that reaction and the reaction of many other Facebookers, it does appear the victim and suspects shared many of the same friends, and that many of those friends had no clue Ibarra and Schumann might be involved.
Detectives have determined that a female suspect with red hair — possibly a temporary disguise — knocked on Rodriguez' door at around 6:10 p.m. on January 11. (The young soccer star had just returned from a big game.) Once Rodriguez had been lured from his home, Schumann is accused of firing the fatal bullets.
The 17-year-old lay dead on his front lawn in Winnetka as his murderers zoomed off into the night in a green SUV.
The suburban Valley neighborhood where Rodriguez lived wasn't at all prepared for the freak cold-blooded kill. The story of his murder took up almost the whole front page of the LA Daily News, and the community has been in hysterics ever since.
If the LAPD did nab the right kids for the crime, everyone still wants to know — what could have driven Ibarra and Schumann to such extremes? Some have speculated on a love triangle, or perhaps a drug deal gone wrong.
One thing's for sure: Ibarra and Rodriguez knew each other well. They're friends on Facebook, and he made a somewhat sexual comment on one of her profile pictures last summer:
All very bizarre. Most recently, Ibarra served a brief jail sentence, according to the Los Angeles Times:
Elizabeth Ibarra, of Calabasas, was sentenced to six months in jail Nov. 17 after pleading guilty to two felony counts of forgery, according to prosecutors and records. She had been in custody since her arrest Oct. 31.Ibarra was released Jan. 4 from the Century Regional Detention Facility, a week before the fatal Jan. 11 shooting, according to Sheriff's Department booking records.
… Ibarra also has convictions for identity theft and assault on a police officer.
She was first listed as a San Fernando Valley resident, but it appears police are now calling her hometown Calabasas. Schumann is from Calabasas, too — that opulent gated city known around the world as crimeless Kardashianland. We've contacted city officials for their reaction to the arrests. Could this be another case of bad little suburban boys (and girls) gone rotten?
[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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