Half Brother Charged With Killing Wife of Los Lobos Member

Friends and relatives knew Sandra Rosas was more than just another rock star’s pretty wife. But after learning that she had been adopted as a child, Rosas began to wonder who she was.

So the mother of three children and the wife of Cesar Rosas, one of the founders of the Grammy-winning band Los Lobos, began to hunt for her biological family. Five years ago, in Whittier, she found the half brother who, authorities allege, became her killer.

Gabriel Gomez, 39, was charged Thursday with murder and kidnapping by prosecutors, more than five weeks after Rosas vanished from her Rowland Heights home.

Gomez had been a suspect since Rosas’ disappearance. He was held on a parole violation for an arson conviction while police searched unsuccessfully for Rosas’ body. Gomez’s attorney could not be reached for comment late Thursday.

Authorities accuse Gomez of killing his half sister during a kidnapping. If convicted of the charges, he could be subject to the death penalty.

Gomez was arrested Oct. 26, the day after Rosas disappeared. The 47-year-old Rosas was last seen by her three daughters, police said, as they went out for the night.

Cesar Rosas was in New Orleans, giving a concert with the band he helped form in East Los Angeles 26 years ago.

The Rosas daughters returned home about 11 p.m. and found shattered glass in the driveway. The front door of their Spanish-style home was open and their mother was missing.

One daughter called Rosas’ cellular phone and overheard Gomez threatening her mother’s life, police said.

The daughter recognized Gomez’s voice, she told police, because he and her mother kept in regular contact after their first meeting. Rosas had helped Gomez find construction work. At one point, police said, Gomez lived on the Rosas property.

Neighbors told police they saw Gomez getting out of a red four-door compact car driven by a young man near the Rosas home, shortly before Rosas disappeared. Police are still searching for that car.

When Gomez was arrested, police said, his upper body had several bruises. A day later, police found Rosas’ van in La Puente, with enough blood inside to suggest that someone had been killed, authorities said.

Although Rosas’ body is still missing, prosecutors said they are confident Gomez will be convicted of the crime.