Fraire, 30, is charged with special circumstances murder, attempted murder and first-degree residential burglary after prosecutors say he fatally stabbed 59-year-old Arti Varma and critically injured her 25-year-old daughter early Monday inside their home on North Brighton Street in Burbank. <\/p>\n
He pleaded not guilty inside a Pasadena courtroom on Thursday and is being held without bail. His lawyer, Mayda Lissette Flores-Medrano, declined to speak to a Los Angeles Times reporter.<\/p>\n
Varma, a first-grade teacher at Bret Harte Elementary School, died of her injuries Monday. Her daughter, Meera Varma, is recovering in a hospital.<\/p>\n
A connection between Fraire and his alleged victims was not immediately clear, but there is overlap within their families in the world of education.<\/p>\n
Fraire\u2019s older sister is a special education teacher for transitional kindergarten through first-grade students at Bret Harte Elementary \u2014 the same school where the older Varma spent the last 15 years of her career, according to interviews and public records. But it is not clear whether Fraire knew the Varma family. Calls to several of Fraire\u2019s relatives went unreturned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDetectives continue to investigate the relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims, as well as the motive,\u201d Lt. Brent Fekety, a spokesperson for the Burbank Police Department, told The Times.<\/p>\n
Arti Varma was known as a teacher who was happy and positive and would push her students to do their best. She emigrated from India after spending her childhood there \u201cwith a loving, extended family\u201d and had two children, according to the school website.<\/p>\n
Meera Varma is a nationally recognized mental health activist who became passionate about youth mental health after enduring her own struggles in high school, according to a 2022 L.A. Times article.<\/a> She became the youngest speaker<\/a> in TED x UCLA history in 2023 and participated in a mental health summit at UCLA with media mogul Oprah Winfrey. She was invited to the White House to speak about the youth mental health crisis and policy, according to her website.<\/p>\n Burbank Police released this booking photo of Sergio Fraire, who has been charged with special circumstances murder, attempted murder and first-degree residential burglary. <\/p>\n (Burbank Police Department)<\/p>\n Investigators identified Fraire as their suspect after interviewing witnesses and reviewing footage from home cameras in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Fekety said surveillance video showed Fraire walking roughly three miles between his home on East Palm Avenue and the Varma residence before the stabbing. <\/p>\n Prosecutors allege Fraire entered the Varma family\u2019s home between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday as they were sleeping.<\/p>\n If convicted of all charges, Fraire faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors have not yet determined whether they will seek the death penalty in the case.<\/p>\n The violence rattled the tight-knit community, particularly at Bret Harte Elementary, where students and staff had recently endured the loss of a kindergarten teacher who was also killed in her home.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cArti was a fantastic teacher and sweet lady. The community feels her loss especially at Bret Harte Elementary,\u201d said neighbor Emma Strattan, who attended school with Meera Varma. <\/p>\n The case has prompted concern and rampant speculation as investigators search for answers. <\/p>\n As a teen, Fraire spent three years on the Burbank High School track team as a middle distance runner and four years on the school\u2019s cross-country team, frequently ranking in top spots during meets. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777117044_572_.jpeg\")
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