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Grieving man plunges at stepdaughter's killer, attacks him during sentencing in California
Euren Balbuena, 33, was sentenced to 33 years behind bars for murdering his girlfriend, 31-year-old Zaira Patino-Trejo, in 2020
A grieving man attacked the killer of his stepdaughter during his sentencinghearing in California earlier this week. 33-year-old Euren Balbuena was sentenced to 33 years behind bars for murdering his girlfriend, 31-year-old Zaira Patino-Trejo, in 2020.
Patino-Trejo had been stabbed to death in front of her mother, Ariadna Avetisyan. Avetisyan was delivering a victim impact statement when her husband attacked Balbuena. County spokesperson Joey Buttitta told New York Post that the man “landed a punch or two” before bailiffs managed to separate them.
A photo shared by the DA’s office shows Balbuena, handcuffed and shocked, being held back by a court official right after the attack. The stepfather was eventually removed from the courtroom.
Back in November, Balbuena was convicted of the first-degree murder of Patino-Trejo, battery causing great bodily injury, and assault with a deadly weapon against her mother.
“On February 27, 2020, Balbuena and Ms. Patino-Trejo were in the middle of an argument inside of their Simi Valley apartment. Aware of the ongoing argument and a history of domestic violence in the relationship, the victim’s mother arrived at the apartment when she could not get in contact with Ms. Patino-Trejo. Seeing signs of more abuse on her daughter’s face, the victim’s mother tried to leave with her. Balbuena would not let Ms. Patino-Trejo out of the apartment and instead grabbed a kitchen knife swinging it at the victim’s mother. He slashed her twice in the head before turning and stabbing Ms. Patino-Trejo. Balbuena stabbed her more than 30 times with several knives, killing her,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced in a statement.
“The victim’s mother ran bleeding from the apartment and contacted a bystander who called 911. Simi Valley Police Officers arrived at the scene and arrested Balbuena who remained inside the apartment,” the statement added.
The case was prosecuted by Supervising Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Suttner and Deputy District Attorney Emily Reber. “Zaira Patino-Trejo was such a vibrant young woman with a bright future,” Suttner said. “We cannot replace her unimaginable loss, but we pursued justice for Zaira and her family. We hope that this sentence brings some small relief to her family, knowing that Euren Balbuena was held accountable for her brutal murder.”
