Karyme Barreto: Kent man shot dead teen girlfriend in park, stole her money to buy marijuana
KENT, WASHINGTON: A Washington man, who was convicted for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Karyme Barreto-Sabalza in 2018, was sentenced to 37 years in prison this week.
The 18-year-old girl was brutally murdered just days before her high school graduation. Barreto had been set to attend nursing school on a scholarship, according to police, reported People.
Who is Giovanni Herrin?
Giovanni Herrin was found guilty of murdering Barreto, according to a statement issued by the Kent Police Department on Wednesday, September 6.
Herrin's sentencing was announced following three trials and two previous jury convictions in the murder that took place on June 16, 2018, at Salt Air Vista Park in Kent.
At the time, Herrin who was 19 years old, lured his girlfriend to the park where he strangled her and shot her in the head. She was left alone and bleeding.
Herrin then stole Barreto's car and purchased marijuana using the money he took from her bank account.
The victim who was severely hurt in the horrifying attack was found alive by a passerby in the park. However, Barreto succumbed to her injuries later.
Herrin previously told investigators that he was being framed in Barreto's case and someone else killed her. However, police officers found an ATM receipt inside the victim's car from "the time right after the homicide."
Karyme Barreto indicated to her friends she feared her boyfriend days before death
As per the court records reviewed by Fox 13 Seattle, "A few weeks prior to killing the victim, the victim sent messages to her friends indicating that she was fearful of the defendant and that she was fearful for her life."
On June 20, 2018, Barreto's boyfriend was booked into the King County Correctional Facility, according to the public jail records
Herrin who reported feeling sick, on July 4, 2018, was shifted to a local hospital. He then managed to escape the place and got into a Lyft.
He attacked the driver before he was tracked down and shot at by a police officer. Herrin was then taken back to the hospital.
Congratulating the police officers for their joint effort in Barreto's murder case, the Kent Police Department expressed their gratitude for "putting this murderer behind bars for a long time." They also thanked the witnesses who "stepped up."
"The conviction and sentencing will not bring Karyme back, but it does bring some measure of justice to the people who loved her," stated the police.
