Kendra McIntyre was shot in March in Los Angeles. A 14-year-old girl was arrested in the murder. (Screenshot from memorial service from YouTube/KFSN)
A 14-year-old girl in California is accused of murdering the daughter of a human trafficking victim in the location where her mother was trafficked 25 years ago.
The unidentified teen was arrested on Monday in connection with the killing of Kendra McIntyre, who was shot in March in South Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.
The LA County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder charge against the juvenile on Tuesday, police said.
McIntyre, who is originally from Fresno, was killed on March 21 around 4:20 a.m. The LA County Medical Examiner said she had been shot in the head and neck. Fresno is more than 200 miles north of Los Angeles.
Police provided few details about the killing. But the victim’s mother, Debra Rush, a sex trafficking survivor, told Law&Crime in a phone interview that her daughter was killed in the same area — near the intersection of Figueroa and West 70th St. — where she was trafficked 25 years ago. Rush said the area is “100%” controlled by gangs.
When she heard the news that a 14-year-old girl was arrested for her daughter’s murder, she was in tears.
“I’m heartbroken,” said Rush, the founder and CEO of Fresno’s Breaking the Chains, which provides support to those impacted by human trafficking. “It took my breath away. I am devastated at the loss of my child, but I’m also devastated at the loss of another child.”
A day after her daughter was killed, Rush remembered the artistic lover of food, animals and family on Facebook.
“I will miss your laugh, and your random kisses,” she wrote. “Baby girl you are the heartbeat of everything that I do. May the best parts of you live on in every part of me. I love you so much my monster girl! Rest well, in the arms of Jesus. Trust and believe I’ll take it from here.”
Mourners paid tribute at a moving funeral service for McIntyre, “a vibrant soul.”
“She leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter and compassion,” officiant Pablo Davalos said, Fresno’s ABC affiliate KFSN reported. “Rest in peace, Kendra. Your light will shine brightly in the hearts, and you will never be forgotten.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
