Who is Garrett Leyva? Hanford man, 20, fatally stabs ex-girlfriend and her brother in fight over 'breakup'
Update: A week after 20-year-old Garrett Leyva stabbed and killed 18-year-old Zachery Hulbert and his sister 20-year-old Ryan Hulbert, Ryan's ex-boyfriend is now facing two counts of murder. The Kings County District Attorney's Office filed multiple charges against Leyva. Charges include two counts of murder, a special allegation for personally using a deadly weapon, a special allegation for the murder of two persons, and a special allegation for lying in wait. Leyva faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole, if convicted.
The Hulbert family says nothing will bring Ryan and Zach back, but they believe the maximum sentence for Leyva is the only worthy justice.
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HANFORD, CALIFORNIA: The Hanford department of police is investigating a case after a 20-year-old man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend and her brother to death on Monday, March 22. Inside a house in Orange Street, Hanford Police found two people who were stabbed to death — 20-year-old Ryan Hulbert and her 18-year-old brother, Zachary Hulbert.
Ryan's ex-boyfriend, Garrett Leyva, who is accused of killing the siblings was also inside and had stab wounds. Fox26 reports that police say Leyva called 911 around 10:45 am and told them he had stabbed his ex-girlfriend and her brother.
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Hanford Police Chief Parker Sever says Leyva is the ex-boyfriend of the woman. They had just broken up over the weekend. "He was upset over that breakup and that's what led to the altercation," says. Neighbor Edgar Amezola shot a cell phone video of Leyva being loaded into an ambulance. Police aren't sure how he was wounded. After the crime scene was reported, friends and family members of the deceased showed up at the scene but remained silent about the tragedy. He hasn't been booked into King's County jail yet but is in hospital with stab wounds and is expected to survive.
According to a report in ABC30, their aunt Marilyn Galindo is of the belief that siblings tried to protect one another until the very end. "They had each other's backs through, through everything. We will never know actually what happened, but we would like to believe that they had each other's back when everything happened, she said. On Leyva she said: "Every interaction we have had with him, myself personally, he was always very respectful. He would come up to us and give us a hug and tell us hello." Galindo says Leyva was quiet, a member of the Army reserves, and never gave the family a reason to worry about their relationship. "I know that if my sister even had some kind of hint or intuition, she would have said something to all of us to help Ryan get out of the situation she was in," she said.
"It's just something that we never want to see, and I really feel for the family in this case," Sever said. According to the authorities, Ryan and Leyva were in a relationship for the past few years and they broke up over the weekend. They're not sure about any past issues, but will be looking into it as part of their investigation. Sever spoke to the mother of both victims. She was at work when the incident happened. "I made sure I told the mom that this is not her fault," he said. "It's not the fault of her daughter. There's only one person that's responsible for this crime and that's the person that committed it."
There have been two GoFundMes established for the victims' parents. One of the campaigns is over with $16,840 raised and the other raised $74,352 raised of its original $20,000 goal.
If you are the victim of domestic abuse, or you know someone who is, there is help available 24/7. In Fresno County, call the Marjaree Mason Center at (559) 233-4357. In all other locations, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.