Investigators say video, witness interviews and evidence led them to Sergio Meza Fraire.
BURBANK, Calif. — Burbank detectives moved from a double-stabbing call before sunrise to a SWAT arrest the same night in the case that killed schoolteacher Arti Varma and injured her daughter.
The investigation began at a home on North Brighton Street and ended that night at a residence on East Palm Avenue, where police say Sergio Meza Fraire was arrested without incident. Prosecutors later charged him with murder, attempted murder and first-degree residential burglary. The case now turns on evidence police say they collected after interviews, neighborhood canvassing and surveillance video review.
Officers were sent to the 2800 block of North Brighton Street at about 6 a.m. April 20. Local reports said one of the victims called 911. Police found two adult female victims with stab wounds inside the residence. The mother, 59-year-old Arti Varma, and her 25-year-old daughter, Meera Varma, were transported to a hospital. Arti Varma later died. Her daughter survived and was listed in stable condition in the first police update. Prosecutors later described her as still hospitalized when charges were announced.
The early police work centered on basic questions that remained public unknowns days later: who entered the home, what path the attacker took, whether the victims knew the person and why the women were targeted. Detectives interviewed witnesses and canvassed the area for evidence. They also collected and reviewed surveillance video, a step police later said helped identify Fraire as a person of interest. By April 23, Burbank police told national media the attack was not random, though they did not release the specific evidence behind that conclusion.
At about 10 p.m. on the day of the stabbings, Burbank police SWAT officers served a search warrant at a home in the 500 block of East Palm Avenue. Police said Fraire was believed to be staying there. He was taken into custody without incident. Investigators said they recovered evidence related to the crime at that location, but officials have not publicly listed each item. Fraire was initially arrested and booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder before prosecutors reviewed the case and filed formal charges.
The district attorney’s office added details in its April 23 filing. Prosecutors allege Fraire broke into the victims’ home between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. while they slept. At about 6 a.m., they say, he entered one of the victim’s bedrooms and repeatedly stabbed both women with a knife. The murder count includes a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait. The complaint also alleges personal use of a deadly weapon and great bodily injury to the surviving victim.
Fraire, 30, of Burbank, pleaded not guilty at arraignment. The court ordered him held without bail at the prosecution’s request. If convicted as charged, he faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole or death. Prosecutors said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made later. A preliminary hearing setting was scheduled for June 12 in Department H of the Pasadena Courthouse. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Melany Avanessians of the Pasadena Branch Office.
While the investigation moved through warrants and court filings, the victims’ names gave the case a wider public reach. Arti Varma taught first grade at Bret Harte Elementary School. The Burbank Unified School District said she was known for dedication to teaching and the warmth she brought to students and colleagues. Meera Varma is known as a mental health advocate and public speaker. Media accounts have linked her advocacy work to national figures and public events, placing the private attack inside a larger public story about two women known well beyond their home.
Police have not released a motive. They have also not publicly confirmed a relationship between Fraire and the victims. CBS Los Angeles reported that a property records search found someone with the same surname as the suspect worked at Bret Harte Elementary, but police had not said that fact played any role in the case. Officials have been careful to separate confirmed evidence from unresolved questions, and the district attorney’s office noted that the charges are allegations.
The family impact was immediate. A family friend and neighbor, Victor Goli, told local reporters that Meera Varma’s father was in India when he learned what happened. Goli said the father cried and struggled to speak. Neighbors described Arti Varma as kind and loved. Those accounts emerged alongside the official timeline, adding personal weight to a case otherwise defined by blocks, times, warrants and charges.
As of May 10, police still described the investigation as ongoing, Fraire remained held without bail and the next public step in the case was scheduled for June 12 in Pasadena.
Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.