Pregnant Lyft Driver Stabbed, Killed In Arizona: Police

TEMPE, AZ — A Lyft passenger is accused of fatally stabbing a pregnant driver who picked him on the rideshare app in Arizona, police say.

In a press release, police in Tempe said that the Lyft driver, identified as 39-year-old Kristina Howato, picked up a passenger in the 600 block of South Perry Lane over the weekend. Police say Howato drove the passenger, identified by police as 20-year-old Fabian Durazo, to an apartment complex on East 8th Street.

Police said Durazo began to assault the driver with a knife inside the car and continued the assault outside the car. Durazo then left the area in the victim's car, police said.

The car was equipped with a GPS and authorities used that technology to locate the car, police said. Tempe police worked with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the La Paz County Sheriff's Office to locate the car, which was found outside Quartzsite, police said.

Police said the suspect was arrested at this location. Tempe police said Howato and her unborn child were both pronounced deceased at the hospital. Howato was in her third trimester of pregnancy, police said.

"We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims," a Lyft spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Patch. "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."

According to police, in a post-Miranda interview, the suspect admitted to stabbing the victim and taking her vehicle.

Police said Durazo is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of theft of means of transportation, one count of armed robbery and one count of kidnapping.

Photo: This photo provided by the La Paz County Sheriff's Office in Arizona shows Fabian Durazo. Photo from La Paz County Sheriff's Office via Associated Press