The information comes via a release issued last night (May 3) by the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept., which says it has been determined [it doesn't say exactly by whom] that the victim was murdered in Long Beach and his body was driven to Rancho Palos Verdes, where the vehicle was set on fire on April 23.

The victim has been identified by the L.A. County Coroner's office as Christopher Waters, 42, of Long Beach. The LASD release says his body was found in the burned vehicle with his feet bound together and a cord wrapped around his neck.

The LASD release says that on April 27, a 17 year old Long Beach resident allegedly went to the Long Beach Police Dept. "and requested to talk to the Homicide Investigators [and] Sheriff's Homicide investigators were notified, responded and spoke to him."

The LASD release says that on May 3, the District Attorney's office filed murder charges against the 17 year old male suspect, who is now being held at Juvenile Hall.

UPDATE: LBPD hasn't issued a release on the matter (including where the murder allegedly occurred) and is referring all inquiries to LASD.

If the murder was indeed committed in Long Beach (as LASD's release indicates investigators believe), it would be Long Beach's eighth murder in April (in addition to previously reported 6 shootings + 1 arson attack with flammable liquid) and Long Beach's 20th murder to date in 2013.

Long Beach had 30 murders for all of 2012. In 2011, LB had 25 murders [26 after the LA County Coroner's Office ruled a 2011 undetermined death as a murder in 2012]...with 31 in 2010, and 40 in 2009 and 2008.