On January 7, things were looking up for 34-year-old Eloise Elizarraraz.
That day she was starting a new job as a dentist assistant and there was a new love in her life.
But that relationship may have cost Elizarraraz her life.
That’s because her former boyfriend and the father of her youngest son was so enraged by this, he allegedly killed her, according to Los Angeles police who are now looking for the man.
The main suspect is Jose Benjamin Rodriguez, 39, a member of the Pacoima Projects Boys gang, according to Detective James Fillmore of LAPD’s Mission Station.
“They had a portentous relationship filled with jealousy and violence,” Fillmore said.
“She had just announced her love for another man and this had angered him so much that he traveled from South Los Angeles to the Sylmar area and waited for her for several hours until she left the residence that morning. He pursued her in a vehicle that was stolen, ran her off the road and shot her to death,” the detective said.
In the early morning of January 7, Elizarraraz was found shot in her black BMW on the sidewalk at the north side of the intersection of Harding Avenue and Tripoli Avenue, police said.
A registered nurse attempted to revive Elizarraraz with CPR before calling 911, but she was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is a very dangerous man. He is a member of Pacoima Projects Boys gang and he has a long history of domestic violence and assaulting women,” Fillmore said.
“Eloise had a promising future and it’s very sad. These three young kids don’t have a mother. We really need the help of the community to find this man.”
Authorities are hoping a $50,000 reward — approved by the Los Angeles City Council on April 5 and announced publicly on Tuesday, April 18 — for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Rodriguez helps them catch the suspect.
Police say the car used in the alleged killing was stolen. It was located in Mexico — just south of the border — and there’s a possibility Rodriguez is there.
“We believe people definitely know where he’s at,” Fillmore said. “He’s got some friends, but no family that we know of in Mexico.”
A violent man with a long criminal history, Rodriguez was last incarcerated in November for drug sales.
“We believed he was out on bail” when he allegedly shot Elizarraraz, Det. Fillmore said.
“Eloise was a beautiful woman inside and out,” said Connie Elizarraraz, the victim’s mother. “It’s sad that she had to leave so soon.”
“Somebody please help the police put this man away before he hurts someone else. My grandchildren need some peace. I just want him put away for what he did to my daughter. We don’t want to walk out and be looking over our shoulder. Even the children do it.”
Elizarraraz was mother of three kids and was taking care of three others.
“It hurts a lot that a unscrupulous person did this to my daughter,” said Antonio Elizarraaz, the victim’s father.
He recommended anyone in a bad relationship to get away, instead of fighting.
And he also urged Rodriguez — who, he said, only thought about himself, and not the children, not even his own — to turn himself in.
“If he did it, he should pay for it. God can forgive him, I can’t,” Antonio said.
Rodriguez is Latino, 5-feet 8-inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. A photo released by police shows him with the name “Eloise” tattooed in script across the front of his neck.
Anyone with information regarding Rodriguez’s whereabouts is urged to call the LAPD’s Mission Station at (818) 838-9800 or Detective James Fillmore at (818) 374-1929. After-hours and weekend calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24-7. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222-TIPS.