Good grief.

Over the weekend, Phoenix Lyft driver Kristina Howato picked up 20-year-old passenger Fabian Durazo.

Kristina — pregnant and in her third trimester — was working the wee hours on Sunday and took Durazo to an apartment complex about a half-mile down the road.

Once there — and for reasons yet to be made clear — Durazo attacked Kristina, stabbing her repeatedly in the SUV. He continued the assault outside then fled in her vehicle.

Around 1:30 a.m., police were alerted to screams for help emanating from a parking lot. Kristina was rushed to a hospital, where both she and her baby passed away.

Police spokesman, Sgt. Ron Elcock expressed dismay at a news conference:

“Throughout our careers as officers, we have incidents that really, really touch our hearts and stay with you. This is definitely one of those incidents that really is going to affect the police department for a long time.”

Kristina is survived by two other children.

So far as authorities know, she and Durazo had no prior knowledge of one another.

Lyft released a statement:

“We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.”

Durazo drove 150 miles before being caught — via GPS tracking — near the Arizona-California line.

Kristina’s remaining children are two and four.

What can be said of this? Nothing I can think of.

Now the question is, how may justice can be served?

Bumper stickers ask the question, “Why do we kill people who kill people to teach them that killing people is wrong?” The answer to that question is simple: We don’t. The death penalty exists to punish a murderer for taking the life of an innocent.

In that transaction, true justice remains unserved: The weight of an innocent life isn’t countered by the weight of the guilty. Whatever our system does in this case, there will be no acquisition of justice. The deaths of two — one, the most innocent of innocents — demand a debt which cannot — at least on this earthly plane — ever be paid.

-Alex

P.S. New York’s new law allows abortion up until birth, by people other than medical professionals (here, here, here, and here). How, in your view, does this crime fare within the bounds of the state legislature’s philosophy? Please let us all know in the Comments section below.

See 3 more pieces from me: Clinton loves Cuomo, a millennial hates rent, and lovable Tomi gets hated on.

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Police say Fabian Durazo, 20, stabbed his pregnant driver, killing the woman and her unborn child before stealing her vehicle and driving nearly 150 miles before being arrested. https://t.co/qb46JhSJOG

— KAPP-KVEW (@KAPPKVEW) January 29, 2019

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