Afoa, who was a defensive lineman at Newark Memorial High School before transferring to the continuation school Bridgepoint High School, was stabbed to death near the intersection of Cedar Boulevard and Birch Street in Newark at about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2010.
The stabbing happened near Newark Memorial High School just after school had concluded for the day.
Newark police said that after a lengthy investigation, they have arrested Daniela Guzman, 19, of Newark; Rafael Tovar, 32, of Newark; and Daniel Howard, 31, of Fremont, on suspicion of murder.
Police said investigators obtained confessions from two of the suspects, who said Afoa was their intended target.
Investigators said the two suspects disclosed the motive for the murder but police have yet to release that information.
Newark police have said only that the stabbing was not random but rather a premeditated and deliberate attack in retaliation for an incident that occurred several months earlier.
Newark police have forwarded the case to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office to file charges against the three suspects.
