Motorist Finds Victim of Execution Slaying

The body of a man who had been shot several times was found Sunday morning in a deserted area of Canyon Country, authorities said.

A passing motorist discovered the body at 8:20 a.m. under the Antelope Valley Freeway near Spring Canyon and Valley Canyon roads, said Lt. Derry L. Benedict of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The motorist waved down a passing California Highway Patrol officer.

Investigators said the victim, who appeared to be in his 20s, had been shot three times in the upper torso with what may have been a large caliber, semiautomatic weapon. He was gagged and his hands were bound.

“He was brought to this location and, for lack of a better term, executed,” Benedict said. Investigators said they did not know the motive for the killing.