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Thread: Fabian Durazo Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison in 2019 AZ Murder of Kristina Howato and her unborn child

  1. #1
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    Fabian Durazo Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison in 2019 AZ Murder of Kristina Howato and her unborn child





    Pregnant victim in fatal Tempe stabbing was Lyft driver responding to call for service

    By Barbara Smith and Perry Vandell
    The Arizona Republic

    Tempe police have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a pregnant Lyft driver to death Sunday morning after he called for a ride.

    Fabian Durazo, 20, was arrested Monday after he was spotted driving the victim's car on Interstate 10 near Quartzsite, Tempe police said.

    He is being held in the stabbing death of Kristina Howato, 39, who was a working as a Lyft driver and had responded to a call for a ride from Durazo at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, police said.

    The stabbing occurred in the 1700 block of East Eighth Street in Tempe, near McClintock and University drives. When the vehicle arrived at the address, Durazo began to stab Howato repeatedly while inside the SUV and continued the attack outside of the vehicle, police said.

    Durazo then fled with the woman's 2005 Mercury SUV, which was equipped with GPS locating technology, according to Tempe police.

    Responding police and paramedics found Howato with multiple stab wounds. She was in her third trimester of pregnancy. Howato and her unborn child both died, police said.

    Durazo was driving west on I-10 about 22 miles from the California state line when he was located. Officers from the La Paz County Sheriff's Office and Department of Public Safety arrested him soon after, officials said.

    Durazo is being held on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of vehicle theft, one count of armed robbery and one count of kidnapping, Tempe police said.

    He was initially booked into La Paz County Jail but will be transported back to Maricopa County to face charges in the woman's death, police said.

    Officials for the ride-sharing company Lyft issued the following statement Monday:

    "We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims,'' the company said. "The safety of the Lyft community is our top priority. The passenger's account has been permanently deactivated and we are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation."

    Police said Durazo admitted to the killing after he was arrested.

    Howato was the mother of two other children, ages 2 and 4, police said.

    https://azcentral.com/story/news/loc...ce/2706197002/
    Last edited by Steven; 10-02-2022 at 06:28 AM.

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    Man suspected of fatally stabbing pregnant Lyft driver pleads not guilty

    By Lauren Castle
    The Arizona Republic

    A man pleaded not guilty Thursday to fatally stabbing a pregnant Lyft driver in Tempe.

    Fabian Durazo, 20, is being held on a $1 million bond at a Maricopa County jail on charges of first-degree premeditated murder, kidnapping, armed robbery with a deadly weapon and vehicle theft.

    He is accused of fatally stabbing of Kristina Howato, 39, a Lyft driver who on Jan. 27 drove to the 1700 block of East Eighth Street in Tempe to give Durazo a ride, according to court records.

    According to the indictment, Durazo faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder for Howato and her unborn child because "the offense involved the discharge, use, or threatening exhibition of a knife, a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument and\or the intentional or knowing infliction of serious physical injury."

    When she arrived, Durarzo began to stab her repeatedly and fled with the woman's 2005 Mercury SUV. Howato was in the third trimester of her pregnancy.

    First responders found the woman, according to records. She was taken to the hospital, where she and her child died.

    Lyft safety polices

    In a statement, the company said the safety of the Lyft community remains its top priority and it will continue to support passengers and drivers.

    Lyft has a no weapons policy for both drivers and passengers.

    Weapons are not allowed in vehicles. It includes handguns, stun guns, explosives, knives, sling shots and Tasers in its definition of weapon.

    Drivers are able to call 911 using the app.

    More about Durazo

    Durazo took classes at Arizona State University for an academic year beginning in fall 2016, according to a university spokeswoman.

    Mio Studios photographer Mark Bumatay told The Republic, Durazo came to his studio in 2017 for head shots in hopes of becoming a model and actor.

    Bumatay said Durazo came to the Tempe area from California.

    https://azcentral.com/story/news/loc...rt/2772985002/

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mastro Titta's Avatar
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    Fabian Durazo's jury trial will start on September 27th, 2022. The death penalty is NOT being sought.

    https://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/pub...aselookup.aspx

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    'He knew what he was doing': Family of Phoenix woman fatally stabbed while driving for Lyft feels punishment does not fit crime

    Kristina Howato was expecting her third child when she was fatally stabbed after dropping off a passenger while driving for Lyft

    By Jade Cunningham
    12News.com

    PHOENIX — It has been over three years since a pregnant Kristina Howato was stabbed and killed by a passenger while working as a Lyft driver in Phoenix.

    Despite the passage of time and the approaching sentencing of the man responsible, her family still grieves this senseless act of violence.

    "She always made us laugh during sad times," said her sister LeJeune Howato. "It's still really hard for me to talk about her."

    The mother of two young boys and a soon-to-be newborn baby girl was killed in January 2019 by Fabian Durazo.

    Kristina had just dropped off Durazo near Eighth Street and McClintock Drive, when for reasons unknown he began stabbing her.

    "I always wonder what her last thoughts were," she said. "What her last words were. She was a good person. She was my partner in crime."

    LeJeune says police knocked at her door around 1:30 a.m. telling her she needed to get to the hospital because her sister had been assaulted. When they got there, the doctor delivered devastating news.

    "He came in and he told us that they did everything they possibly could to save my sister," she said. "But they couldn't save her. The baby was already gone because that was the first area he had stabbed. They told me I wasn't allowed to see her [Kristina] because of what had occurred, it was hard."

    Durazo was arrested and initially pled not guilty, starting a series of court hearings that spanned nearly three years. However, he recently changed his plea to guilty and is now scheduled to be sentenced later this week.

    "I just want to know why he did it? He had the knife, he took it with him, he had intent," LeJeune said. "He knew what he was doing."

    Even as this all comes to a close, she still says her family is not getting the justice they feel they deserve.

    "The prosecutors told me they were going to offer him a plea deal and I told them I was against it because I don't think that's fair considering what he took from us," she said. "I wanted him to sit in front of a jury because I know that would make a difference in the sentence he'd gotten."

    25 years for the murder of LeJeune's sister and 20-25 years for the murder of Kristina's unborn daughter.

    For the two lives lost, LeJeune says she wanted the death penalty. However, she says that was taken off the plate because of how young he was.

    So she hoped for life behind bars, but it looks like that won't be the case either.

    LeJeune says she feels like the system failed her family.

    "Granted he'll have a life in jail, but my sister doesn't have a life," she said. "My nephews have to grow up without their mother."

    It's hard, but LeJeune says she's trying to push through because that's what she says her sister would want her to do.

    https://www.12news.com/article/news/...a-4aa55ef913ce
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Lyft passenger that fatally stabbed Phoenix woman sentenced in her killing

    Fabian Durazo was sentenced to 50 years for the killing on Friday.

    12News.com

    TEMPE, Ariz. — A man who killed a pregnant Phoenix woman while she was driving for Lyft in 2019 was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Friday.

    Fabian Durazo stabbed and killed Kristina Howato after she dropped him off near Eighth Street and McClintock Drive in January 2019.

    Howato was a mother of two young boys, now aged 10 and 7, and was pregnant with her soon-to-be newborn baby girl.

    Howato's two sons were also in the courtroom Friday and read statements before the judge, hoping to see the full sentence passed on to Durazo.

    "I would first like to say that the person who killed my mom deserves to go to jail for the rest of his life. I felt mad at the person that killed my mom." her youngest said.

    Durazo was arrested following the killing but originally pled not guilty, which then started a nearly three-year-long series of court hearings. He recently changed his plea to guilty, which prompted the sentencing.

    Her sister, LeJeune Howato hardly satisfied with the outcome, knowing, no punishment will ever bring her or her baby back. The family though has no choice but to try and move forward.

    "Why would we give him mercy, he didn't show any mercy to my sister, he didn't give that to my niece," LeJeune said at the sentencing. "I still don't think that was enough for what he has done to our family and for what he did to my sister and my niece. I just don't think it was enough.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.12n...9-fe5a07800b48

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