Nearly 20 months after the brutal killing of Karla Terron, authorities arrested 30-year-old Juan Figueroa on Aug. 14 at his home on the 1500 block of Knox Street in San Fernando. He was booked on suspicion of murder at the San Fernando Police Department (SFPD), where he was taken into custody.
SFPD Chief Fabian Valdez said Figueroa was later transported to the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles.
One neighbor who lives on the same block where Figueroa was arrested told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol, “There often seems to be trouble at that home. I’ve heard about a lot of crazy things happening at that house over the years,” said the man, who declined to provide his name, indicating the house where he said Figueroa resided.
“And recently I had heard they might have something to do with that case about the woman that died – [Karla] Terron,” he continued, “but I don’t know anything else about it, and I don’t want to say any more.”
The San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol spoke with one of Terron’s cousins, who said LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) homicide detectives investigating the case instructed the family to refrain from publicly commenting on Figueroa’s arrest, but said she would likely speak to the press later this week.
Last month, LASD Lt. Michael Modica and other authorities held a press conference outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post in San Fernando – where Terron was last seen alive the evening of Dec. 16, 2022 – to reveal new DNA evidence in the case. Detectives had impounded and examined a white four-door 2021 Honda CR-V, which tested positive for Terron’s DNA.
Authorities believe the vehicle was used to transport Terron’s body from San Fernando to Bakersfield, where her remains were found early the next morning on the southbound State Route 99. Terron’s body had been burned; the cause of death was multiple stab wounds.
At the time of her death, Terron was working as a receptionist at an auto body shop and living in Arleta with her two young sons, who are now 7 and 11.
In a previous interview with the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol, a family member said Terron was a devoted mother.
“As a mom, she always made sure her kids had everything that they needed.”