Ronaldo Zavala, a 24-year-old man in Oklahoma, has been arrested for stabbing his former co-worker, an 18-year-old woman, as she walked home while eating a burger. It has now been revealed that Zavala was “obsessed” with the woman who did not have any interest in him.
The unfortunate incident happened on Saturday at about 1:00 a.m. According to the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, when the woman stopped on her front porch, a masked man came up from behind her and started to stab her in the neck and wrists.
Talking to Oklahoma City’s CBS affiliate, KWTV, Captain Jared Strand, who is with the Sheriff’s office, said that the man kept saying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” while stabbing the woman 14 times. Her screams woke her brother and mother up, and her brother came up to rescue her.
View this post on Instagram
The brother was stabbed as well, but it also scared the attacker away. The masked man then drove off before deputies arrived. Once the authorities reached the scene, an investigation began, and Zavala’s name soon emerged as the key suspect.
Talking to regional ABC affiliate KOCO, Strand said, “He was just obsessed with this female and she had no interest whatsoever, and it just drove him to the brink of committing this crime.” He further added, “He went so far as to send unsolicited DoorDash orders, different gifts, and things like that that were not wanted.”
Zavala knew the victim from working together at a local movie theatre. The woman had previously complained about his “obsessive” behavior at the theatre, which led to his termination. He then started to stalk the woman, and on the night of the attack, he waited for her to return home alone.
The woman is now in a stable condition at the hospital, while her brother is dealing with minor injuries. As reported by Law & Crime, Zavala “has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, assault and battery while masked or disguised, and domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon, Pottawatomie County jail records show.”
View this post on Instagram
The incident shows the deeply disturbing impact of obsession, which might lead to serious consequences if not addressed in time. As Zavala was clearly obsessed with the girl, his anger went beyond limits when his feelings were not reciprocated and he eventually decided to take this drastic step.
While the girl is in a stable condition now, the trauma of this attack might end up becoming a lifetime burden for her to carry. It is therefore important to address such situations right at their initial stages so that such unfortunate and extreme consequences can be avoided.
Zavala remains in custody now, and it remains to be seen what kind of punishment awaits him depending on the evidence and testimonies collected against him.
