For all her household and associates knew, Carla Maribel Rodriguez’s much-younger thriller boyfriend was a ”sweetheart.”
However the 48-year-old was hiding an enormous secret that’s solely been uncovered by the stunning approach her life ended, allegedly by a number of gunshots by the hands of the identical man she’d been gushing like a young person about.
Her alleged killer, arrested on the couple’s rented $2.4M Beverly Grove house Sunday, is Emily Emerald Vogdt, 27, a seemingly troubled, trans man who’d been bankrolling the couple’s flashy life-style.
Police had been referred to as to the couple’s house on La Peer Avenue, close to Third Road, Beverly Grove, simply earlier than 8:30 a.m. after stories of gunfire and located Rodriguez had been shot quite a few occasions.
She would die a short while later within the hospital.
Her beloved canine, Prince, who she’d had immortalized on the wall as a portrait, was additionally allegedly shot useless.
Vogdt is being held at Century Regional Detention Heart — an all-female jailhouse — in Lynwood on $3,075,000 bail, which was elevated from an preliminary $2 million as a result of seriousness of the crime.
Rodriguez’s brother Joshua Vasquez, 39, advised The Put up investigators have advised his household that Vodgt used his center identify ”Emerald” and was transitioning to develop into a person.
Vasquez mentioned investigators described Vogdt as “very possessive and obsessed” along with his sister – and believes Rodriguez could have been planning to go away the connection.
Police have alleged the killing stemmed from a home dispute.
Detectives had been seen eradicating rifle circumstances from the couple’s black Lamborghini Urus.
The couple, who’d been relationship for nearly a yr, embraced an extravagant life-style, with a lavish Christmas and New 12 months’s spent in Aspen and Solvang, adopted by a sojourn to Mammoth in February, and a decadent three days on the five-star Ritz Carlton, with spectacular views over the cliffs of Dana Level.
Rooms on the resort begin at $1,000 – and her associates had been fast to remark: ”Luxurious… that’s fancy… blissful for you woman.”
Simply three weeks later, Rodriguez can be useless, allegedly murdered in essentially the most horrific trend by the hands of the brand new lover she had described because the peanut butter to my jelly.”
Family and friends had assumed she was relationship a person, closely tattooed and with a wispy beard, at all times carrying sun shades and trucker hats in images.
They had been shocked to find the caring, divorced therapeutic massage therapist, who moved from Modesto to Los Angeles in December 2024, had a boytoy lover, saying she’d at all times dated males.
Shut buddy, Jacqueline Dobson, 64, advised the Put up: ‘I by no means met her boyfriend. I didn’t even get a reputation.”
‘‘She advised me he was fantastic to her… “he’s peanut butter to my jelly” and “I’m in love.”’
However Dobson admits she’d grown suspicious of the couple’s extravagant life-style of holidays, advantageous eating – whereas jaunting by way of Los Angeles in a black Lamborghini SUV value about $250,000.
”I used to be at all times attempting to determine how they had been capable of do all these extravagant issues,” she mentioned.
”They had been dwelling fairly a wealthy and well-known life.’’
Information present Vogdt stood to inherit a household belief valued at roughly $2.9 million, tied to a business property on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.
The belief was established by Vogdt’s grandmother, Paula Vogdt, and handed to her daughter, Anita Vogdt, in 2013.
Anita died in 2022, leaving Vogdt as the only real inheritor. Regardless of this, Rodriguez had advised her mom she was paying $1,000 monthly to dwell within the Airbnb property the couple shared.
A canine sitter who had her personal room on the house confirmed the couple’s odd relationship, with the pair dwelling in separate bedrooms. She additionally mentioned she had been unaware Vogdt was biologically feminine.
Vodgt has a husky referred to as ”Lucy.”
Legal professional Steven Tamer, who represented Vogdt within the belief matter and served as successor trustee, declined to remark.
“I don’t have authority to talk concerning the case,” he mentioned.
Rodriguez’s aunt, Marcella Garcia, 59, mentioned the household had by no means met Vogdt, and knew virtually nothing concerning the relationship.
”Nobody within the household had met this particular person,’ she mentioned.
Garcia mentioned she had assumed her niece was relationship a person and was alarmed by pictures she later noticed on-line.
”He was somewhat unusual and peculiar wanting,” she mentioned.
Rodriguez had advised her she was ‘attempting one thing completely different’ however gave no additional particulars.
‘I advised her I used to be happy for her so long as she was blissful,’ Garcia mentioned.
Vogdt appeared in courtroom Thursday, however her arraignment was postponed to April 29.
Obtain The California Put up App, comply with us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Put up Information: Fb, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Put up Sports activities Fb, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Put up Opinion
California Put up Newsletters: Join right here!
California Put up App: Obtain right here!
House supply: Join right here!
Web page Six Hollywood: Join right here!
