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An attorney for the sole suspect in Andrea Vazquez’s kidnapping and murder has said that his client is “scared” after being hit with multiple felony charges. Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, is facing charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted rape in the death of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. Mr Esparza is accused of randomly kidnapping Vazquez last week while she was on a date with her boyfriend at Penn Park in Whittier, California. Vaquez was shot and yanked out of a parked car as her boyfriend rushed for help but she was nowhere to be found when he returned to the scene. Her body was found days later by Whittier Police detectives in Moreno Valley. Mr Esparza’s attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez told FOX11 that his client was “scared” and “just beginning to understand what is going on.” “Everyone in this case is in shock, and everyone who knows him can’t believe that he has been charged with this crime,” Mr Rodriguez said. Mr Esparza, the son of an LA fire captain, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is being held without bond. Read More Ambushed at an LA park, kidnapped and her body dumped in a field: What happened to Andrea Vazquez? Andrea Vasquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead Son of LA County fire captain pleads not guilty to Andrea Vazquez murder

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If you’re a young woman on your own at night, unsolicited attention from a stranger can be intimidating, to say the least. Fortunately, there are plenty of good samaritans out there who are quick to step in and offer a helping hand where it’s needed. And, in some cases, where it’s not. Such an instance occurred at a Starbucks in Texas, where an 18-year-old student was studying by herself when she was approached by a man she didn’t know. A female barista spotted the encounter and decided to take action – bringing a cup of hot chocolate over to the teenager that “someone forgot to pick up”. But really it was all a ruse, and written on the drink was a note reading: “Are you okay? Do you want us to intervene? If you do, take the lid off the cup.” The girl’s mother, Brandy Selim Roberson, shared a photo of the thoughtful message to Facebook in February last year, explaining: “My 18-year-old daughter was at Starbucks, alone, the other night. A man came up to her and started talking to her. A barista handed her ‘an extra hot chocolate someone forgot to pick up’. “How grateful I am for people who look out for other people!” Brandy then added: “Side note: She felt safe and did not remove the lid, but let them know. She said the whole team was watching over her the rest of the time she was there. Thank you to Starbucks for having a great team.” Providing further details, Roberson told the New York Post: “The man was very loud and animated,” but her daughter was reassured to see “a row of baristas staring at her — ready to step in.” “This reaffirms my faith in humanity,” the proud mum stressed. “Maybe just seeing this story, others … if given the opportunity to say something or turn away, they would say something.” Clearly, the story continues to strike a note with people, because it has gone viral again after being shared on X/Twitter on Monday. The post has racked up more than 21.6 million views and 240,300 likes in just three days, with thousands of commentators offering their take on the encounter. Countless users joined Brandy in praising the Starbucks staff, with one gushing: “There still are some great people in the world!” A second wrote: “As a father of a daughter, I’m glad people are still looking out.” And a third said: “In today’s society more people should be proactive like this. You just never know what a situation really is. Kudos to the alert Starbuck’s staff. Never be silent and always ask.” However, others pointed out that the girl had felt “safe” with the stranger, and so they insisted that the intervention was a dramatic overreaction. “I feel so bad for younger guys that might want to go talk to a random chick,” one lamented. “I fail to see why a young woman needs to be ‘rescued’ in a situation like this,” wrote another. “It’s a public setting and there are many acceptable reasons why this man could have been talking to her! “It’s one thing to encourage reasonable precautions, quite another to instil fear and paranoia,” they added. And a third said despairingly: “Can't approach women in coffee shop (creepy); can't approach women at work (unprofessional); can't approach women at the gym (distracting, creepy); can't approach women at church (no singles); can't approach women in public (with friends) – what are men supposed to do??” Scores of commentators said the story was a perfect example of why many young men are too scared to strike up conversations with women. Indeed, a study published by Date Psychology in July found that nearly half of men aged under 25 had never approached a woman in person – with most citing a fear of rejection and/or the potential social consequences. Meanwhile, a number of X/Twitter users said more context was needed to establish exactly why the note was needed. One wrote: “All we have to go on is that a man talked to her. They did not state that he threatened or harassed her, which surely they would have clarified if he had.” To which another replied: “I like to believe they picked up on something sort of fishy, or intense about the man -- perhaps he was in her physical space, or looked a little out of it? We don't know. If it was like that, I think they were helpful.” Elsewhere, users suggested that the furious response from male commentators proved the baristas had been right to act. “Men in the quotes giving us great examples of why the employees stepped in,” one said. “Y’all are not entitled to speak to women simply because you think you can or perceive yourself as no harm.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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