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Marissa Perez was shot several times, including once in the head, according to her mother. She was expecting a child in June.
August 30, 2023
ARTESIA, Calif. (KABC) — The man accused of killing a 25-year-old pregnant woman in Artesia last year has been extradited to California, authorities confirmed.
Manuel Ortiz Jr. is accused of fatally shooting Marissa Perez in January 2023 while she was on her way to a birthday party with her dad. Perez was several months pregnant at the time.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators said Ortiz was extradited from Washington state.
Kalispel Tribal Police arrested Ortiz in late January on an unrelated charge.
A judge set his bail at more than $6 million.
Perez was in the front passenger seat of a vehicle as her father was driving to pick up a birthday cake.
According to Perez’s mother, Sandra Tolentino, said a driver pulled up next to the father and daughter and began shooting. Perez was shot several times, including once in the head, her mother said.
“She was 25. She was about to be a mother in five more months. She was so happy,” said Tolentino back in December. “She always cared for so many people. Her heart was literally on her sleeve every day.”
The incident remains under investigation.
