Tempe police said Monday in a press conference that the pregnant woman stabbed to death early Sunday morning was a Lyft driver killed by her passenger.
Kristina Howato, 39, was taken to the hospital from the scene where she took suspect 20-year-old Fabian Durazo near Eighth Street and McClintock Drive. She and the unborn child were pronounced dead at the hospital.
"This is definitely one of those incidents that really is going to affect the police department for a long time, and the community will think about this for a long time," Sgt. Ron Elcock with the Tempe Police Department said.
Howato picked up Durazo near McClintock and Rio Salado Parkway, according to police. When she was dropping him off, police say he began stabbing her while she was inside her SUV. He continued to stab her as she got out of the car, and he took the vehicle.
A man not wanting to reveal his identity told 12 News he and his roommate ran out to help Howato.
"She started banging on my neighbor’s door below us and she kept on asking for help [...] heard her say that she was pregnant," said the man.
The good Samaritan said they found Howato covered in blood.
"I didn’t actually think there was blood at first ‘cause it looked like her entire shirt was red, but that’s just how much blood ... I asked what had happened. She said she was stabbed. I asked her where, she said, 'All over,'" the man said.
The Tempe Police Department said law enforcement used GPS to track the SUV, and police eventually stopped it over just east of Quartzsite along I-10 later in the day Sunday. DPS tried to pull Durazo over, but he kept going, so troopers used a spike strip to disable the vehicle.
After initially refusing to get out of the SUV, Durazo eventually complied and was arrested by DPS and La Paz County deputies, a DPS spokesperson said. Tempe PD detectives were not far behind.
Durazo was booked into the La Paz County jail, where he admitted stabbing Howato and taking her car, a Tempe PD spokesperson said.
Police said Howato leaves behind two young children, a 2- and 4-year-old.
After hearing Howato and her unborn child didn't make it, the anonymous good Samaritan wondered if he could've done more.
"Should you have acted faster? Should you have done more? Should you have reacted earlier and gotten help earlier and maybe would that have made a big difference," the man said.
Durazo faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of kidnapping, car theft and armed robbery.
In an email Monday afternoon, Sgt. Elcock told 12 News investigators said the suspect's original intent was to steal the vehicle.
Lyft released the following statement in response to the stabbing:
"We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims. The safety of the Lyft community is our top priority. The passenger’s account has been permanently deactivated and we are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation."