Rene Alejandro Lupian, a 22-year-old Latino, was tragically shot and killed on November 7, 2018, in East Los Angeles. The incident occurred in the 900 block of South Concourse Avenue. According to investigators, the shooting was believed to have stemmed from a robbery. Lupian was walking home after finishing his shift at the Pico Rivera In-N-Out Burger. He often stopped at a Little Caesar's a few blocks from his home to bring pizzas to his family.
On that fateful night, he was carrying a dark-colored Jansport backpack and wearing a gold necklace with a cross, a cherished family heirloom given to him by his grandmother. Witnesses reported hearing yelling and then saw someone punch Lupian and shoot him. The attacker, described as a Latino in his 20s, fled with Lupian's backpack. A white compact vehicle was seen leaving the area around the same time, but its connection to the shooting remains unclear. Lupian was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m. The cause of death was listed as gunshot wounds to the head and neck.
The investigation into Lupian's death led to significant developments. On December 21, 2018, two suspects were arrested in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting. Abraham Julianny Cabrera, 19, of Alhambra, was charged with murder and second-degree robbery. Prosecutors also charged him with the allegation that the murder was committed during a robbery, making him eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Additionally, Cabrera faced charges for firing a handgun that caused great bodily injury and death to Lupian. Wayne Andrew Seare Jr., 20, of Montebello, was charged with second-degree robbery and being an accessory after the fact. Their arraignment was initially scheduled for December 26, 2018, but was continued to January 16, 2019. The arrests were the result of leads and information received during a press conference held on December 19, 2018, where investigators showed surveillance video and composite sketches of a man and woman deemed "persons of interest" in the case.
The investigation revealed that Lupian had willingly given up his backpack to the robbers but resisted when they tried to take his gold chain and cross. This resistance led to the fatal shooting. The woman captured on surveillance video inside the liquor store was identified and located, but her role in the murder, if any, remained under investigation. The suspects were believed to have followed Lupian in a white compact car after he left a nearby liquor store. The car was later recovered by detectives. The arrests of Cabrera and Seare brought some measure of justice to Lupian's grieving family, who remembered him as a kind and polite young man with a contagious smile. He had graduated from University High School in Venice and studied for a year at Antioch University, where he took many writing classes and enjoyed writing poems. Lupian's death was a devastating loss for his family, friends, and the community.
