Every night time for Mirna Soza was a bit just like the final. She labored day-after-day for the final three years as a safety guard at Authentic Tommy’s hamburgers in North Hills, clocking in round 7 p.m. and dealing till 3 or 4 a.m.
Then, often, she would dangle across the restaurant till the solar began to rise earlier than taking public transit residence, the place she would sleep till she needed to get up and do it once more. It was safer to journey when the solar got here up, she thought. However generally she was too drained to attend and she or he’d go away earlier, as she did Monday morning.
It’s not attainable to know what Soza was occupied with that day as she took the B Line residence from work. She may need been occupied with the small home she was having constructed again in Nicaragua. The home was in Managua, the place two of her three youngsters stay. It was midway by development. She hoped it might be prepared throughout the 12 months so she may transfer residence. Or she may need been occupied with her two grandchildren, 13 and 10, in Managua.
However simply earlier than 5 a.m. Monday, Soza was stabbed to demise on the practice she rode day-after-day. She was lower on the face and the throat and stumbled onto the platform on the Common Metropolis station, in response to authorities. Rescue employees got here to the scene and took her to Cedars-Sinai, the place she died.
Half an hour after she was stabbed, police arrested Elliot Tramel Nowden and booked him on suspicion of homicide.
The killing stole the lifetime of a lady whom kinfolk described as dwelling a lonely existence in Los Angeles, who moved to town to earn a living as finest she may in order that she may someday transfer again to Nicaragua to stay extra comfortably. Soza, 66, was born in Matagalpa, the place she lived till she had youngsters and moved the household to Managua. In Matagalpa, she inherited her mother and father’ small farm the place she grew beans, in response to her daughter, Mirna Roman Soza, who lives in Managua.
Soza went to school in Nicaragua and studied ecology, her daughter mentioned.
“She liked bugs and nature. She taught us to go to massive fields and catch bugs,” Roman Soza mentioned.
She had many extra family and friends in Managua and Matagalpa than in Los Angeles, the place she targeted on her work and being profitable so she may transfer residence. She lived alone within the metropolis for 5 years earlier than her son moved in together with her in 2023. Her days have been spent in Los Angeles however her residence was at all times Nicaragua. She discovered Los Angeles harmful. Largely she labored and she or he slept, her daughter mentioned.
“She was very alone in that nation. Fairly alone, by herself till my brother bought there. What saved her going was her plans. Her goals,” mentioned Roman Soza.
Nonetheless, in Los Angeles Soza had pursuits and at all times liked speaking to new folks. Though her English was not nice, she would attempt to observe with individuals who didn’t communicate Spanish. She liked going to the market and making buddies there. She additionally at all times helped homeless folks as a lot as she may, her daughter mentioned. Generally she would convey meals to the individuals who lived on the road close to Tommy’s.
“She noticed them as individuals who wanted assist, not as individuals who would hurt her,” Roman Soza mentioned. “She was very type and merciful. She was very candy with folks like that.”
Soza was grateful for the work at Tommy’s due to her age. She didn’t carry any weapon on the job, she simply wore a safety outfit on the 24-hour restaurant. She often bought residence round 6 or 7 a.m. When she didn’t arrive Monday, the household started to fret, in response to Roman Soza.
They referred to as Tommy’s to verify she’d been at work. The supervisor instructed her son-in-law, Jose Castillo that she’d left round 3 or 4 a.m. after her shift ended, he mentioned.
“We simply began calling totally different hospitals and checking the information,” Castillo mentioned.
However nobody knew the place Soza was.
Later that day, her son Jose Leon bought a name from an LAPD detective who mentioned he wanted to return right down to the station. The detective had Soza’s cellphone.
“We have been considering so many horrible issues. We additionally had hope,” mentioned Roman Soza.
Their hope diminished once they noticed on native information {that a} lady had been killed on the practice. They knew Soza took the practice each night time.
“We couldn’t consider it. It have to be another person. It may well’t be her. However … my brother calls us and instructed us the horrible information,” Roman Soza mentioned. “That she was lifeless. Identical to that.”
Violent crimes have elevated on Metro trains since 2019. Homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies have been all up in 2023 in contrast with 2019. In December 2023, the B Line noticed an 18% enhance in whole crime in contrast with the earlier month, with a rise in aggravated assaults, robberies and larcenies.
Soza instructed her household she noticed loopy issues on the practice, however mentioned she felt secure as a result of she didn’t consider anybody would goal a lady of her age.
“No one imagines one thing like that’s going to occur to you. It’s a nightmare, one thing unreal,” mentioned Roman Soza.
Soza lived sooner or later, her daughter mentioned. She was even saving cash to purchase a plot in a cemetery in Nicaragua. Now the household is hoping to repatriate her stays to her residence nation by elevating cash on GoFundMe.
Roman Soza had not seen her mom in six years, since Soza moved to Los Angeles. They talked day-after-day about how a lot they missed one another, how badly Soza wished to get again to Managua to see her grandchildren.
When Soza’s cellphone turned on round 5:30 a.m. on Monday — in all probability within the possession of a police officer — a remaining textual content got here by to her daughter.
It was a video about how a lot grandmothers love their grandchildren.
