Man charged with murdering plumber whose stays have been present in California mountains

A California man has been arrested and charged with murder, 4 months after hikers discovered the bullet-riddled stays of a plumber who had been reported missing in July.

Rotherie Foster, 37, is accused of killing Jose Velasquez, 35, his work acquaintance, for financial purchase, in line with a data launch from the office of Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.

He has moreover been charged with eight counts of identification theft, two counts of forgery, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and goes by way of various prior strike prices.

Los Angeles Times beforehand reported that Velasquez moved to California from his native Honduras in 2016 and made a dwelling as a plumber in Simi Valley. He obtained his regular contractor’s license in 2021 and relocated to Camarillo.

Velasquez was last seen alive on July 27, 2022, after telling his family that he was going out for drinks with some buddies in Thousand Oaks. He was reported missing three days later.

His work van was recovered 4 miles from the Janss Marketplace procuring coronary heart on Aug. 1, nonetheless there was no sign of Velasquez.

On Oct. 3, a husband and partner found the missing plumber’s stays whereas mountaineering inside the Santa Monica Mountains off Mulholland Highway.

Velasquez’s bullet-riddled physique was wrapped in a tarp that was secured with a bungee twine, The Acorn reported.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office determined Velasquez’s rationalization for lack of life to be various gunshot wounds.

“Jose was an incredibly hard worker who was starting his own plumbing business when his life was viciously and cruelly cut short,” said Nasarenko.

Foster was arrested Friday in reference to Velasquez’s murder, nonetheless he’s been in jail since mid-August when he was picked up on identification theft prices, a couple of of which have been dismissed in November.

He was then immediately re-arrested on weapons prices after investigators said they found a loaded handgun with a high-capacity journal inside his automotive.

Foster is being held on $2 million bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on the Ventura County Superior Court.