'Murder For Money': Man Charged In 35-Year-Old's Mysterious Death

AGOURA HILLS, CA — Authorities on Tuesday announced 11 felony charges related to the shooting death of Jose Velasquez, a 35-year-old whose remains were found by hikers in the Santa Monica Mountains four months after he went missing.

Rotherie Foster, 37, of Camarillo, was scheduled for arraignment Wednesday afternoon. Foster faces 11 charges including: first-degree murder for financial gain, two counts of forgery, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and "several prior strike charges," according to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.

Foster was arrested on suspicion of identity theft on Aug. 17, 2022 and has been in police custody ever since, Nasarenko said. Foster is the only person being investigated in connection with the slaying.

Foster, who was a work acquaintance of Velasquez, used a firearm during the murder and used Velasquez's personal identifying information in both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and used his debit credit card and checking accounts on multiple occasions after the murder, Nasarenko alleges.

The identity and financial theft is what initially tipped off investigators, Nasarenko said Wednesday.

Foster already had two felony strike offenses including voluntary manslaughter and assault with the infliction of great bodily injury, Nasarenko said. He previously served a 21-year prison sentence, but he has been out of custody for a few years.

Velasquez went missing in July 2022 after being seen in Thousand Oaks. On Oct. 3, 2022, Velasquez's body was found in the 2600 block of April Road in the Santa Monica Mountains in Agoura Hills, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. Authorities in late October determined his death was a homicide and that he had been shot multiple times.

“Jose was an incredibly hard worker who was starting his own plumbing business when his life was viciously and cruelly cut short,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “The charges filed today are among the most violent and serious we see in the courthouse."

Velasquez graduated from Mountain View High School in Virginia and was saving up money to help his parents buy a home in Virginia, Nasarenko said.

"This was an individual with a promising and bright future, who was embarking on a career in general contracting. According to his mom, he was to specialize in remodeling, painting, electrical and plumbing work," Nasarenko said in a news conference Wednesday.