A grieving stepfather attacked his stepdaughter's killer during a sentencing hearing in California on Wednesday, landing blows before authorities broke up the scuffle in the courtroom.
Yulen Balbuena, 33, was sentenced to 33 years to life in prison for the 2020 murder of his girlfriend, Zyla Patino-Trejo, 31, Ventura County District Attorney Eric Nasarenko said. It was announced on Thursday.
The Simi Valley killer stabbed Patino-Trejo to death in front of her mother, Ariadna Avetisyan, who was also slashed in the head.
Ms Avetisyan gave an emotional victim impact statement in court, describing how the loss of Ms Patino-Trejo had affected her family's life when her husband lunged at Valbuena. .
The grieving man threw at least one punch before the pair were separated by bailiffs. ventura county star report.
Photos shared by the prosecutor's office showed a handcuffed and confused Mr. Balbuena being restrained by court officials shortly after the attack.
The stepfather was excluded from court. Impact statements continued about an hour later.
As of Thursday afternoon, county sheriff's officials had not filed charges with prosecutors in the incident, the newspaper reported.
Balbuena was found guilty in November of first-degree murder of Patino-Trejo, assault causing serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon against her mother.
A desperate fight erupted in February 2020 when Avetisyan showed up at the couple's Simi Valley apartment after not hearing from her daughter.
After seeing signs of abuse on Patino-Trejo's face and learning of Balbuena's history of domestic violence, her mother desperately tried to take her daughter and leave.
The killer blocked their path and slashed Avetisyan twice in the face before attacking his daughter.
He used multiple knives to stab Patino-Trejo more than 30 times. But prosecutors argued the total was closer to 95.
After watching his daughter die, Avetisyan ran away bleeding profusely and called 911.
“Zyla Patino-Trejo was a very vibrant young woman with a bright future,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Melissa Zuttner said in a statement.
“While we cannot replace her unimaginable loss, we have sought justice for Zaira and her family. We hope this article brings a little peace to her family as we learn that Yulen Balbuena has been detained. But I hope it brings you peace of mind.
Responsible for her brutal murder. ”
