The family of a tow driver and car technician stabbed to death while on the job in Pico Rivera spoke out Friday for the first time, on the same day authorities announced an arrest in the case.
Raymond Zabala, 35, was stabbed to death while on a service call for AAA on Tuesday helping a woman with car troubles in Pico Rivera. LA County Sheriff Homicide Detectives say after he helped fix the woman’s car, as he spoke to her, another man came up and stabbed Zabala in the neck before taking off on a bicycle.
"He was an amazing person," said Stephanie Almanza, who said she was going to marry Zabala this year after the pair had their first child together in March, "I’m devastated. I’m alone. I’m scared. I feel like I can’t do this by myself."
LA County sheriff's deputies on Friday morning arrested Tobias Ruben Cabrera, 39, on suspicion of murder, officials said.
Zabala had been working for the last three years for a towing company out of Montebello that worked under contract with AAA.
Pico Rivera is the town where he grew up and part of his area for service calls.
The place he was stabbed was only a few houses down from the house where he grew up.
"It’s crazy," Almanza said, "I want to thank the community that has shown our family so much support through all this."
Zabala’s father made a direct plea to the suspect before the arrest.
"You thought you were brave enough to do what you did, he said. "Let’s see how real brave you are and turn yourself in."
The family also took time to meet and thank a 13-year-old boy who spoke with NBC4 Tuesday about trying to help Zabala as he bled to death. He said he knelt beside him and prayed "so God could protect him a little more."
Almanza said there are few boys who do such a thing and thanked him.
"This little boy actually ran up to my husband and tried to help him, he prayed for him," Almanza said. "That means a lot to me."
The family started a GoFundMe account for his funeral.
