Two women of Indian origin, a mother and her daughter, were subjected to a horrific stabbing attack inside their home in Burbank, killing the mother, Aarti Varma, 59, an elementary school teacher.
Her daughter Meera Varma, a well-known mental health activist, was seriously injured but her condition was said to be stable after the two women were taken to hospital. Mira’s father was in India when the stabbing attack occurred. The 30-year-old man, Sergio Freire, has been arrested as the person of interest in the case.Many details have emerged about Fryer because he is a local resident but it has not yet been confirmed whether Fryer knew the Farmas family, or what the motive behind the spate of stabbings was.The stabbing occurred at approximately 6 a.m. on April 20. Fryer was located at a house less than three miles from Farmas. Both mother and daughter were well known in their area. Meera Varma, 25, is known nationally as a mental health activist who has worked with Oprah, Joe Biden, Jill Biden and Kamala Harris.A local report noted that Fryer grew up in the Burbank area and some described him as an outstanding athlete and student.
Andris Bulgarin, Fryer’s former colleague, expressed shock and said they were all stunned after learning about this. “He was a classic honor student, which is something you don’t really expect from someone like that,” Bulgarin told KTLA.After the early morning stabbing incident, police began investigating and the arrest was made at 10 p.m. “At approximately 10:00 p.m., members of the Burbank Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team served a search warrant for a residence located in the 500 block of East Palm Avenue in Burbank, where Mr. Fryer was believed to reside. He was taken into custody without incident, and evidence related to the crime was located,” the police department said.“The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims is still under investigation, as is the motive,” the ministry said.
