On the third anniversary of her death, the family of 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez honored her memory with a service at her gravesite, alongside a dove release. Loved ones were joined with prosecutor John Jordan, who recently joined their case.
“We’re very confident we’ll be going forward in August,” said Jordan about the trial of Arlene’s accused killer Tony Earls.
John Jordan, known for his work on high-profile cases like the Aj Armstrong and Josue Flores cases, has now taken over as the lead prosecutor. While the family expresses sadness over the departure of Warren Diepraam, they are hopeful about the new prosecutor’s expertise.
“We do, however, trust the abilities and expertise of John Jordan as our new prosecutor and look forward to him continuing the fight for our little girl Arlene,” they added.
On Valentine’s Day in 2022, 9-year-old Arlene was shot and killed while riding in the back of her family’s truck.
Police say it was struck by a bullet fired by Tony Earls, who shot at a man he claimed had robbed him at a nearby ATM.
In addition to the celebration, the family provided an update on the ongoing developments in Arlene’s murder case.
“Sean Teare fired our prosecutor, Warren Diepraam, on 1/1/2025,” said Arlene’s family in a statement. “This change further prolongs our journey for justice. Our murder trial date has now been moved from January 2025 to August 2025 to allow the new prosecutor, John Jordan, to prepare for the case.”
Wendy Alvarez addressed the crowd at the event and was asked, “Can you share how you would like people to honor your daughter today, remember her, or what you want those who didn’t know her to understand?”
“Yes, in a way that we would like for everybody to honor. Arlene is with the same happiness. She looked forward to buying her loved ones a special gift,” Wendy said. “I would like for everybody to honor Arlene with the happiness that she had. She was so joyful. She was so happy and with lots of love.”
Arlene’s aunt, April Aguirre, said the family has been hit with multiple roadblocks on their journey for justice.
“2025 is going to be the year Arlene gets justice,” said Aguirre. “Arlene should be in school right now. She’d be a seventh grader. But that’s just not the case.”
The service took place today at 10:30 a.m. at Lawndale Forest Park, Garden of the Angels, located at 6900 Lawndale. The event featured a special dove release at Arlene’s gravesite.
