Before he was accused of murdering a local elementary school teacher and seriously injuring her adult daughter, Sergio Freire was known by his former classmates at Burbank High as a dedicated student and track athlete.
A former student says he ran middle-distance, cross-country running and served as a role model for young runners until he graduated in 2013.
But that image of Freire was shattered this week, when a SWAT team arrived at his second-story apartment and arrested him Monday on suspicion of stabbing a beloved teacher to death and killing his daughter, an accomplished mental health advocate and public speaker.
Prosecutors say 30-year-old Frayer has been charged with murder, attempted murder and first-degree residential burglary with special circumstances after he stabbed 59-year-old Aarti Verma and critically injured her 25-year-old daughter early Monday inside their home on North Brighton Street in Burbank.
He pleaded innocent in a Pasadena courtroom Thursday and is being held without bail. His attorney, Meda Lisette Flores-Medrano, declined to speak to a Los Angeles Times reporter.
Verma, a first-grade teacher at Brett Hurt Elementary School, died of her injuries on Monday. His daughter Meera Verma is undergoing treatment in the hospital.
No connection between Freire and his alleged victims was immediately apparent, but there are similarities between their families in the world of academia.
According to interviews and public records, Freire’s older sister is a special education teacher for transitional kindergarten through first grade students at Brett Hurt Elementary — the same school where the elder Freire spent the last 15 years of her career. But it is not clear whether Friar knew the Verma family or not. Calls to several of Frere’s relatives went unanswered.
“Detectives continue to investigate the motive, as well as the connection, if any, between the suspect and the victims,” ​​Burbank Police Department spokesman Lt. Brent Feketee told The Times.
Aarti Verma was known as a teacher who was happy and positive and motivated her students to do their best. She moved to India after spending her childhood “with a loving, extended family”, according to the school’s website, and had two children.
According to a 2022 LA Times article, Mira Verma is a nationally recognized mental health activist who became passionate about youth mental health after enduring her own struggles in high school. she became youngest speaker in TED x UCLA History in 2023 and attended a mental health summit at UCLA with media mogul Oprah Winfrey. According to her website, she was invited to the White House to speak about the youth mental health crisis and policy.
Burbank Police released this booking photo of Sergio Freire, who has been charged with murder with special circumstances, attempted murder and first-degree residential burglary.
(Burbank Police Department)
Investigators identified Fryer as their suspect after interviewing witnesses and reviewing footage from home cameras in the neighborhood.
Feketi said surveillance video shows Fryer walking about three miles between his home and the Verma residence on East Palm Avenue before he was stabbed.
Prosecutors allege that Freire broke into the Verma family’s home between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday while they were sleeping.
If convicted on all charges, Freire faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors have not yet determined whether they will seek the death penalty in the case.
The violence shocked the close-knit community, especially at Brett Hurt Elementary, where students and staff had recently suffered the death of a kindergarten teacher who was also killed in her home.
Neighbor Emma Stratton, who went to school with Mira Verma, said, “Arti was a wonderful teacher and a lovely woman. She is sorely missed by the community, especially at Brett Hurt Elementary.”
The case has sparked concern and widespread speculation as investigators search for answers.
As a teenager, Fryer spent three years on the Burbank High School track team as a middle-distance runner and four years on the school’s cross-country team, often ranking in the top spots during meets.
She was named Most Outstanding Freshman, a top sophomore, and first team in cross-country her junior year. He also has a black belt in martial arts and was part of the school’s Spanish Club Their college’s recruiting profile.
His page says he can run the 1500m in 4 minutes and 20 seconds and the 5K in 14 minutes and 50 seconds.
Among those who ran with Freire was Andres Pulgarin, who was a year behind Freire at Burbank High and saw him as a role model for student athletes looking to improve.
“I’ve only had positive experiences with them,” Pulgarin said. “He was always someone who encouraged teammates both on and off the field. He was a high-achieving student who took Advanced Placement classes throughout high school.”
So when Pulgarin saw his former partner’s mug shot online in connection with the double stabbing, he was stunned.
Freire looked completely different from the kid he remembered from his high school years. Pulgarin did not work with Freire after he graduated, except for one Burbank track meet which Freire attended as a college freshman to support his former team.
Pulgarin said, “He was arrested late in the day, so I guess he was up all night, but that mug shot looked very different from the pictures I took in high school.” “He looks disheveled.”
Freire attended school in San Diego after graduating from Burbank, Pulgarin said. The Times could not independently confirm those details.
According to court records and interviews, as of 2019, Fryer was employed at World Market in Burbank and working toward a psychology degree at Glendale Community College with the goal of eventually becoming a psychologist.
In February of that year, a co-worker accused her of sexual harassment, according to her application for a temporary restraining order filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
In his own filing opposing the restraining order application, Fryer denied that any assault had occurred, and said that any sexual activity was consensual. He also presented letters of recommendation from two of his instructors at Glendale Community College.
One letter was written by Richard Kamei, a sociology professor at the school, and describes Freire as someone who “takes his education seriously.”
Kamei wrote, “It is clear that he has a genuine interest in understanding the subject matter in order to be able to better understand the complexities of the world in which he lives in order to play a role in influencing positive change.” She also said Freire volunteered with the college’s Students Talk About Race program. Kamei did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.
A second letter from another instructor was included in the court filing and confirmed that Freire had attended every class while enrolled in his Psychology 101 course.
A judge granted a temporary restraining order in February 2019, but less than three months later, Freire and the woman reached an agreement to withdraw it. According to court records, both parties agreed to stay away from each other.
