A mental-health activist who rubbed shoulders with the stars is fighting for her life after she was stabbed in her home and her mother was murdered in a terrifying attack in Burbank.
Meera Varma, who worked with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey on mental-health initiatives, was found stabbed at her home on the 2800 block of North Brighton Street Monday about 6 a.m.
The suspect — later identified as Sergio Fraire, 30 — is accused of breaking into their house and butchering her mom Arti Varma while her father was away in India.
Meera Varma worked with former President Joe Biden. Meera Varma/LinkedinA neighbor said she had surveillance video showing the suspect fleeing the scene, ABC 7 reported.
Fraire was arrested Monday night about 2.5 miles away at a home on the 500 block of East Palm Avenue. He’s facing charges of murder and attempted murder.
“The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims remains under investigation, as does the motive,” read a statement from the Burbank Police Department.
Meera worked with former President Biden and talk show icon Oprah Winfrey.
Varma’s mother — Arti Varma — was killed in the attack. BHES Burbank USD
It is unclear how the suspect knew the pair or if the stabbing was random. Meera Varma/LinkedinAn online biography described the daughter is a “nationally recognized Mental Health Activist and TEDx speaker with 10+ years of experience working with federal, private, and nonprofit entities.”
“She is deeply committed to reducing suicide rates through policy change and by fostering conversations about mental health on an interpersonal level,” it added.
The website noted that Meera has also worked with former First Lady Jill Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
Meera was a vocal advocate for suicide prevention.
Burbank PD“It is so important for us to have these conversations around mental health because suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people 10-14 and 20-34.
“That is something that can be prevented by talking about it,” she told ABC 7 at a UCLA health event in 2023 alongside actor Lisa Kudrow.
Her mother, Arti, was a second-grade teacher at Bret Harte Elementary School in the Burbank school district.
She’s the second teacher from the school to be killed in recent years. A neighbor said she died from her wounds, while Meera remains hospitalized in stable condition.
The incident happened around 6am in the 2800 block of North Brighton Street. David Thompson for CA Post
A friend who spoke to Meera’s father, who is also Arti’s husband, said he was inconsolable. David Thompson for CA Post
“The relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims remains under investigation,” Burbank police said. ABC 7Neighbors were stunned by the attack. “It was kind of a shock to hear just a few minutes ago that their house was broken into,” a neighbor told ABC 7.
Another neighbor said she shared video with the police that showed the suspect.
A friend of Arti’s described her as “an amazing teacher” and “such a bright light.”
She also noted the attack worries her and the neighborhood, and she can’t imagine someone would want to attack them.
“Is it something that we have to worry about as a neighborhood?” a friend of the Arti’s, Cristina Strattan, told ABC 7. “If it’s someone they know that makes it even harder to process because they were such a good people. I can’t imagine someone would intentionally want to hurt them.”
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post SportsFacebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
