Overview
- Sergio Fraire, 30, was arrested Monday night after a SWAT search at an East Palm Avenue residence where officers said they recovered evidence.
- Police found 59-year-old teacher Arti Varma and her 25-year-old daughter stabbed at their North Brighton Street home around 6 a.m. Monday, and the mother later died at a hospital while the daughter remains in stable condition.
- Investigators have not determined a motive or whether the suspect had any relationship to the family.
- Detectives canvassed the neighborhood, interviewed witnesses, and reviewed security camera footage that neighbors shared with police.
- The Burbank Unified School District mourned Varma, a Bret Harte Elementary teacher remembered as devoted to her students, and the community is reeling after another teacher’s killing at the same school in May 2024.