Seven years after she was murdered in her own home, a mother of two is still waiting for justice while the man accused of killing her sits in a state hospital.
Bambi Larson, 59, was a manager at a medical testing company in San Jose, California, and lived quietly in her Thousand Oaks neighborhood for over twenty years. On February 28, 2019, her son and a coworker found her stabbed to death on her bedroom floor after she failed to show up for work. The suspect, Carlos Eduardo Arevalo Carranza, was a Salvadoran national living in the United States illegally. ICE had filed nine separate detainer requests on him — seven in Santa Clara County and two in Los Angeles County. Every one was ignored under California sanctuary policy. He had prior convictions for burglary, battery on a police officer, drug possession, and trespassing, and was on probation when Bambi was killed. Police say he stalked her neighborhood before the murder. As of last year, his case remained in legal limbo after a second incompetency declaration sent him back to Napa State Hospital. Bambi’s children Renee and Steven are still waiting for a verdict.
The case matters now because the debate it forced into the open is the same debate the country is having again this week. The Department of Homeland Security has issued more than 65,000 civil fines totaling over thirty-six billion dollars against illegal immigrants with final deportation orders. Sanctuary jurisdictions are still refusing federal cooperation in many cases. Bambi’s name is one of many that should be in every conversation about whether those policies have a human cost.
Scripture does not soften the weight of innocent blood. It calls on nations to defend the defenseless and hold the guilty to account.
“The Lord loves justice and does not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will perish.” — Psalm 37:28
Pray for Renee and Steven tonight. Pray for every family whose loved one’s name became a policy debate.
Justice delayed is not justice denied to God. But it is exhausting to those still waiting.
Bambi mattered. Her name should not be forgotten. #truth #justice #accountability
