Arizona police arrest man in stabbing death of pregnant Lyft driver

Fabian Durazo was arrested Monday after police spotted him driving a 2005 Mercury SUV belonging to Kristina Howato, 39, who had responded to a call for a ride from Durazo around 1 a.m. Sunday, the newspaper reported.

Durazo is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of armed robbery, vehicle theft and kidnapping, KNXV reported.

Howato, who was in her third trimester of pregnancy, was the mother of two children, ages 2 and 4, police told the Republic. She was taken to a hospital, where both she and the unborn baby died, KNXV reported.

According to police, when Howato arrived at an address in Tempe, Durazo began to stab Howato repeatedly while inside the SUV and continued the attack outside of the vehicle, the newspaper reported.

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials used GPS tracking to locate the stolen SUV near Quartzsite, about 25 miles from the Arizona-California border, KNXV reported.

Police said Durazo admitted to the killing after his arrest, according to the Republic.

Officials for the ride-sharing company Lyft issued a statement Monday saying "We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.”

"Throughout our careers as officers, we have incidents that really, really touch our hearts and stay with you throughout your careers," Tempe, police Sgt. Ron Elcock told KNXV. "This is definitely one of those incidents that really is going to affect the police department for a long time."