‘Absolutely unthinkable’: Man gets life for killing ex-girlfriend’s father

‘Absolutely unthinkable’: Man gets life for killing ex-girlfriend’s father Carlos Bernardo Cabrera, 28, was sentenced to life in prison without parole by Chief District Court Judge Tierra Jones for the fatal stabbing of Carlos Varela, 53, during a 2021 home invasion near Christy Lane and Lake Mead Boulevard in northeast Las Vegas. Jones described Cabrera’s actions that day as “absolutely unthinkable” when she imposed the sentence. One of Varela’s daughters, Ravaye Snead, told the court that Varela was a “truly beauteous person” and “a genuinely good, humble antheral who was taken from his family.” She said the killing “has affected each portion of my beingness and my children’s lives including our affectional health, our carnal well-being and our consciousness of safety.” Snead added, “The grief is never-ending and has brought fear, anxiety, sleepless nights, affectional exhaustion and a changeless consciousness that the satellite nary longer feels safe.” Authorities identified Cabrera as the former boyfriend of Varela’s daughter Mariana Varela, noting that she had ended their relationship. Police reported that Cabrera entered the Varela residence through an open window, repeatedly stabbed Carlos Varela and assaulted Mariana, who survived the attack. Mariana Varela told the Las Vegas Review‑Journal in an interview the previous week that Cabrera had been controlling and physically abusive toward her before the incident. In court on Thursday she stated that after her father was stabbed, Cabrera held her at knifepoint and prevented her from calling 911 to obtain help for him. She remarked, “When I get joined my dad will never be there to walk me down the aisle,” and added, “I will forever miss my dad.” Cabrera’s defense counsel, Chief Deputy Public Defender Robert O’Brien, said his client suffers from severe autism and was beaten as a child by a former stepfather. O’Brien noted Cabrera had no prior criminal record. He urged the judge to impose a life sentence with the possibility of parole, arguing that such a term would serve as “an incentive for someone like Carlos Cabrera to improve while he's in prison.” During a lengthy statement, Cabrera apologized, saying, “what I’ve done was despicable and I know that I can’t do anything to change it. I can’t change the past as much as I want to.” He wiped away tears at times while family members spoke. Cabrera also said, “I never thought I would be capable of doing such a thing,” and added, “I just lashed out.” O’Brien recalled that when he first met Cabrera at the Clark County Detention Center, the defendant could not make eye contact while speaking and responded to questions with single‑word answers. He described Cabrera as highly intelligent but lacking coping skills for change or stressful situations, noting that Cabrera became isolated after high school with few friends. O’Brien said Cabrera went to the Varela home that night simply to seek closure over the failed relationship and had not planned to commit violence. He quoted Cabrera as saying, “He doesn’t know how to respond to change at all,” and added, “There is very little emotional capacity or ability to understand other peoples' emotions.” Prosecutors had originally pursued the death penalty. In a plea agreement reached in June, Cabrera pleaded guilty to murder, residential burglary, first‑degree kidnapping and other felonies. Carlos Varela’s son, Jeremy Harris, described his father as a well‑respected tradesman in Southern Nevada. Harris said, “My dad has been the greatest loss of my life,” and noted, “My dad was a staple in the community. He worked on every building and casino in the valley since 1995. The same structures that bring countless jobs and help the Las Vegas economy grow. He was a master carpenter, a supervisor, an instructor, a mentor and friend to countless men and women who work in the trades.”