Simi Valley, California – A Simi Valley man has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal stabbing death of his girlfriend almost four years ago. Euren Balbuena, 33, received a 33-year-to-life sentence for the first-degree murder of 31-year-old Zaira Patino-Trejo in their Simi Valley apartment. The judge added another 7 years for the knife attack on her mother.
The sentencing hearing included emotional statements from the victim’s family. The crimes happened on February 27, 2020, when Patino-Trejo’s mother went to the couple’s apartment in the 5400 block of East Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley after becoming concerned that she had not been able to reach her daughter, who had been the victim of domestic violence in the past. When she arrived, she saw evidence of domestic abuse and tried to rescue her daughter but was prevented by Balbuena, who attacked her with a knife. Balbuena then took that knife and several others and fatally stabbed Patino-Trejo more than 30 times.
Her mother, seriously injured, fled the apartment to get help. When first responders arrived, they found the mother outside of the apartment, wounded, and Patino-Trejo inside the apartment on the kitchen floor, dead. Balbuena was found in the apartment and was taken into custody without further incident.
Balbuena had been charged with attempted murder in the attack on Patino-Trejo’s mother, but the jury instead convicted him of assault with a deadly weapon. He was also convicted of misdemeanor battery. The judge sentenced him to 33 years to life in prison for the combined offenses.
The case illustrates the devastating impact of domestic violence and the tragic consequences it can have. The sentencing provides a sense of closure for the victim’s family and a form of justice for the heinous crime committed by Balbuena.