Euren Balbuena, seen in court after an altercation and inset, was sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend, Zaira Patino-Trejo. (Courtroom photo from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office; Mug shot from the Simi Valley Police Department)
The stepfather of a woman stabbed 30 times punched the killer at his sentencing this week in California during victim impact statements before bailiffs removed him from the courtroom in an emotional hearing that capped a yearslong nightmare.
Euren Balbuena, 33, was sentenced on Wednesday to 33 years to life in prison for three felony convictions, including the murder of girlfriend Zaira Patino-Trejo, 31, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a news release.
Patino-Trejo’s stepfather lunged at and punched Balbuena at least once as the victim’s mother addressed the court, the Ventura County Star reported, citing a DA’s spokesperson.
The mother was also stabbed in the attack and managed to flag down bystanders to get help.
“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.”
Balbuena was convicted of first-degree murder, battery causing great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon against her mother, who was stabbed in the attack, and special allegations that he used a knife in the killing and caused great bodily injury in the commission of a felony, prosecutors said.
The stabbing happened on Feb. 27, 2020, as Balbuena and Patino-Trejo were arguing in their Simi Valley apartment. They had a history of domestic violence in the relationship, and the victim’s mother could not reach her daughter.
So she went to the apartment and noticed signs of abuse on her daughter’s face.
Balbuena would not let his girlfriend out when the two tried to leave. He grabbed a kitchen knife and swung it at her mother, slashing her twice in the head before stabbing Patino-Trejo more than 30 times with several knives, killing her.
The victim’s mother ran bleeding from the apartment, flagged down two people and told them her daughter was stabbed by her boyfriend and was still inside the apartment, according to a Simi Valley Police Department news release.
“The woman (in the street) was covered in blood and had some wounds,” police Cmdr. Steve Shorts told a local newspaper, The Simi Valley Acorn.
At the apartment, officers found the victim dead in the kitchen and Balbuena inside as well. He was arrested without incident.
The victim’s mother was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
The Acorn, citing court records, reported he had been on a restraining order at the time of the stabbing.
Patino-Trejo worked for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
“Zaira was a valued member of our team and served our clients with great professionalism and care,” a company spokesman said in a statement to the Acorn. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to her entire family, friends and those that were fortunate enough to know her.”
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