LOS ANGELES, CA – An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found fatally shot inside a crashed vehicle in an Anaheim neighborhood earlier this month, police said.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. on March 4 near East Wilhelmina and North Vine Streets, in a residential area just west of La Palma Avenue. Responding officers located 48-year-old Charlene Lynn Zuazo in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that had collided with a parked car. She had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Street People learned that Zuazo may have been shot at a different location and attempted to flee before losing control of the vehicle. SP obtained details suggesting that investigators began canvassing the surrounding neighborhood shortly after the incident, reviewing surveillance footage and tracking possible vehicle movements in the moments leading up to the crash.
According to insights uncovered by SP, authorities identified 18-year-old Jerry Gutierrez of Cudahy as the primary suspect within days of the killing. He was taken into custody on March 7 without incident and booked into the Anaheim Police Department on suspicion of murder.
While police have described the shooting as targeted, they have not released further details about a possible motive or whether Gutierrez and Zuazo had a prior connection. SP came across indications that digital evidence, including cell phone records and location data, may have played a role in identifying Gutierrez as a suspect.
The case has been forwarded to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for formal review. Charges are expected to be filed pending the outcome of the prosecutorial evaluation.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS. Anonymous tips are welcome, and investigators stressed the ongoing need for community input in helping resolve violent crimes.
