Ventura County Authorities Say Murder Defendant Facing Charges In Second Murder Case
Monday May 20, 2024
(Jose Velasquez)
Updated--The defendant in the killing of a Camarillo man in July of 2022 is now facing a murder charge in the killing of a Los Angeles man six months earlier.
38-year-old Rotherie Foster has been in the Ventura County Jail since his arrest in August of 2022 in connection with the July 2022 death of 35-year-old Jose Velasquez of Camarillo.
Foster is accused of fatally shooting Velasquez and then stealing his identity to make purchases and use credit in Velasquez name.
Now Ventura County prosecutors say they are charging Foster with a second murder, that of 72-year-old Bill Levy of Los Angeles, that happened six months before the killing of Velasquez.
A news conference is set for Wednesday in the DA's office regarding this second murder case.
Foster was a two strike felon who at age 16 was convicted in Sacramento of Voluntary Manslaughter and Assault with Intent to Commit Great Bodily Injury for which he spent 21 years behind bars.
Velasquez, on the other hand, was described as a hard working member of the building trades profession, loved and respected by family, friends, and co-workers.
He had saved money in an effort to buy a home for his parents and start his own business.
Velasquez was last seen on July 27, 2022 having dinner with friends in Thousand Oaks.
The authorities believe he was killed the next day.
He was reported missing two days later.
A major effort, both public and private, was launched to find Velasquez but it wasn't until October of 2022 that his remains were found by hikers in the Los Angeles County portion of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Foster remains in the Ventura County Jail and is being held without any chance of release.
He was scheduled to be in court on June 6th for a hearing on the Velasquez case but he is now expected to be in court this Wednesday to face charges in connection with the Levy murder.
