Kendra McIntyre was shot and killed in Los Angeles in March. A 14-year-old girl was taken into custody for the murder. (A still image from a memorial service on YouTube/KFSN)
A 14-year-old girl in California is charged with the murder of the daughter of a human trafficking victim in the same location where her mother was trafficked 25 years ago.
The unidentified teenager was arrested on Monday in connection with the killing of Kendra McIntyre, who was shot and killed in South Los Angeles in March, as stated by the Los Angeles Police Department in a press release.
The LA County District Attorney’s Office brought a murder accusation against the minor on Tuesday, the police announced.
Pertaining to McIntyre, originally from Fresno, she was killed on March 21 at around 4:20 a.m. The LA County Medical Examiner confirmed that she was shot in the head and neck. Fresno is over 200 miles north of Los Angeles.
Law enforcement gave limited information about the murder. However, the victim’s mother, Debra Rush, a survivor of sex trafficking, mentioned to Law&Crime during a phone conversation that her daughter was killed in the same vicinity – near the intersection of Figueroa and West 70th St. – where she was trafficked 25 years ago. Rush stressed that the area is under the complete control of gangs.
Upon learning that a 14-year-old girl had been detained for her daughter’s murder, she broke down in tears.
“I’m devastated,” stated Rush, the creator and CEO of Fresno’s Breaking the Chains, which offers assistance to those affected by human trafficking. “It left me speechless. I am shattered by the loss of my child, but I am also shattered by the loss of another child.”
A day after her daughter was killed, Rush remembered her daughter, who had a passion for art, food, animals, and family, on Facebook.
“I will miss your laughter and your unexpected kisses,” she wrote. “Baby girl, you are the essence of everything that I do. May the best parts of you live on in every part of me. I love you deeply, my beloved girl! Rest peacefully in the arms of Jesus. I promise to continue from here.”
Mourners paid tribute at a poignant funeral for McIntyre, described as “a lively spirit.”
“She leaves behind a legacy of love, joy, and empathy,” officiant Pablo Davalos remarked, as reported by Fresno’s ABC affiliate KFSN . “Rest in peace, Kendra. Your radiance will shine brightly in our hearts, and you will never be forgotten.”