PICO RIVERA, Calif. — A 16-year-old girl used her last words after being stabbed in her Los Angeles-area home to scream the name of the ex-boyfriend she broke up with two weeks ago, helping make him a suspect in her death Friday, according to the lieutenant in charge of the investigation.
The girl’s screams woke her mother up and roused neighbors from sleep just after 3 a.m. in the quiet neighborhood in Pico Rivera, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Lt. Eddie Hernandez said.
Elena Moore had been stabbed at least once in the chest, and she collapsed and died in front of her mother a short time after yelling the name “Rory.”
“She was yelling and screaming his name. It’s horrible,” Hernandez said. “Can you imagine waking up to the screams of your daughter at 3:15 in the morning and this happens? It’s unthinkable.”
Investigators were searching for Elena’s former boyfriend, Rory Murga, 17.
Evidence found at the crime scene also tied Rory to the home, Hernandez said.
Two photographs of Murga were released after investigators searched for him for 12 hours.
A kitchen knife believed to be the weapon used in the attack was recovered inside the home, Hernandez said.
It was unclear whether Elena let her killer into the home or whether the attacker broke in, he said, adding that damage found to the back door could have happened in the past.
The stabbing happened downstairs, and Elena was able to run upstairs to her mother before collapsing, Hernandez said.
Elena, and Rory dated for a year until she ended the relationship two weeks ago, Hernandez said.
Kara Wilson, 15, of Palm Bay, Fla., who said she was online friends with Elena, said Elena stood out among her friends because she never posted anything negative on Facebook and defended those who were being subjected to bullying.
“She was always sticking up for people,” Kara said. “She was the sweetest.”
Neighbor Jasmine Gonzalez, 21, often saw Elena and Rory walking together.
“It was always just them two,” she said. “It’s a shock to everybody.”
