Man sentenced to 37 years for brutally killing girlfriend, leaving her to die and stealing her money
KENT, Wash. - A now 24-year-old Federal Way man will spend nearly 40 years in prison for the 2018 murder of his girlfriend at a Kent park trail.
On June 16, 2018, then-19-year-old Giovanni Herrin lured his girlfriend, 18-year-old Karyme Baretto-Sabalza, to the Salt Air Vista Park.
There, he strangled her and shot her in the head before leaving her on a trail to die.
Kent Police say he took off in her car and took money out of her bank account.
Baretto-Sabalza was found alive on the trail by a passerby, but her injuries were so severe that she did not survive. She was killed just days before her high school graduation. She was a senior at Mount Rainier High School in Des Moines and wanted to go to nursing school.
"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. The victim indicated that the defendant had 'frauded her account' and that the defendant told her she 'better watch out.' The victim also told her friend that if something ever happened to her, ‘Report it and say it was Gio,’" court documents read.
Herrin escaped custody a week before she was shot and killed.
On Sept. 6, Herrin was sentenced to 37 years in prison for her murder.
If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. It's a 24/7 hotline with over 200 language interpreters.