Model charged with murder in connection with ambush-style shooting near UTC high rise

A social media influencer and model has been charged with murder in connection with an ambush-style shooting that killed a Mexican national as he entered the parking garage of an upscale University City apartment complex last year, according to a complaint filed in San Diego Superior Court.

Vanessa Gurrola, 32, was arrested by San Diego police on Oct. 9 and pleaded not guilty on Monday to murder in the death of Christian Espinoza Silver, according to a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office. She is being held in Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee without bail, and her next court appearance is set for next week.

Espinoza, 35, was fatally shot on Feb. 17, 2024, while entering the garage of Palisade UTC at Nobel Drive and Lombard Place in a BMW vehicle. A second passenger, an unidentified 39-year-old man, was wounded in the attack.

Investigators at the time described the shooter as male, saying that a gunman approached the car and opened fire. The shooter, described as wearing a camouflage jacket, black pants and a black backpack, then fled the scene.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/10/17/model-charged-with-murder-in-connection-with-ambush-style-shooting-near-utc-high-rise/