Prosecutors say Sergio Meza Fraire broke into the home before dawn and attacked Arti Varma and her daughter.

BURBANK, Calif. — A 30-year-old Burbank man pleaded not guilty after prosecutors charged him in the fatal stabbing of first-grade teacher Arti Varma and the wounding of her 25-year-old daughter inside their home.

Sergio Meza Fraire is charged with murder, attempted murder and first-degree residential burglary in a case that has shaken a school community and a quiet neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. Prosecutors added a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, making the case eligible for life without parole or death if he is convicted as charged.

The attack was reported about 6 a.m. April 20 at a single-family home in the 2800 block of North Brighton Street, according to police. Officers found two adult women with stab wounds and paramedics took both to a hospital. Varma, 59, later died despite life-saving efforts. Her daughter, identified by prosecutors as Meera Varma, remained hospitalized. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said Arti Varma was “deeply beloved” and had been taken from her family and community in an act of violence.

Prosecutors say the break-in happened sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., while the women were sleeping. They allege Fraire entered one of the victims’ bedrooms and repeatedly stabbed both women with a knife. The criminal case, filed as case 26PDCF00374, also alleges that Fraire personally used a deadly weapon and personally inflicted great bodily injury on the surviving victim. Authorities have not announced a motive, and police have said the relationship, if any, between Fraire and the victims remained under investigation.

The court case advanced quickly after the attack. Detectives spent the day interviewing witnesses, canvassing the area, gathering evidence and reviewing surveillance video. By that night, they had identified Fraire as a person of interest. Around 10 p.m., Burbank police SWAT officers served a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block of East Palm Avenue, where Fraire was believed to be staying. Police said he was taken into custody without incident and that evidence tied to the crime was recovered at the residence.

Fraire appeared in Pasadena Courthouse on April 23 and pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered him held without bail at the prosecution’s request. His next court date was set as a preliminary hearing setting on June 12 in Department H of the Pasadena Courthouse. Deputy District Attorney Melany Avanessians of the Pasadena Branch Office is prosecuting the case. Prosecutors said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made later. Fraire is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The killing left Bret Harte Elementary School grieving for a teacher remembered as warm, steady and devoted to children. Burbank Unified School District said Varma was a deeply valued member of the district and a teacher whose relationships with students and colleagues left a lasting mark. Friends and neighbors described her as joyful and kind. One friend told local reporters that Varma loved being a teacher and took pride in her students. The loss came less than two years after another Bret Harte teacher, Karyn Lombardo, was killed in Burbank in a separate case.

Meera Varma is known outside Burbank for mental health advocacy, public speaking and work connected to national leaders and public figures. In earlier writings, she described the women in her family as central to her strength, including her mother and grandmother. Family friend Victor Goli said Meera Varma’s father was in India when he learned of the attack. Goli said the father was crying and “couldn’t even speak right” after the news reached him from thousands of miles away.

Investigators have said the attack was not random, but they have not publicly detailed the evidence behind that finding. Police have also not said whether any prior contact, dispute or connection led them to Fraire. The case now rests on two tracks: an ongoing police investigation and a criminal prosecution that could carry California’s harshest penalties if the allegations are proved.

Currently, Fraire remains held without bail, Meera Varma’s recovery remains part of the case record and the next scheduled milestone is the June 12 hearing in Pasadena.

Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.