LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Tuesday, new developments in a case from February 2022 where a neighbor was stabbed multiple times in the neck by another neighbor in Lehigh Acres.
Lazaro Arriba agreed upon a plea deal for 15 years behind bars and five years probation for killing Lester Forrest.
Lester's wife said it was not easy to agree to a plea deal, but it would save her and their kids from the heartache of going through a trial.
In court on Tuesday the words were heard... "On February 28 of 2022 you stabbed Mr. Forrest in the neck during a fight in the roadway on Beth Avenue in Lehigh acres Florida?"
The response from Lazaro Arriba was "Yes ma’am."
And when Arriba was asked if he intentionally committed an act that caused the death of Lester Arnold Forrest?... A long pause.
"I committed the act, but I didn’t intend to kill him. It wasn’t my intention," said Arriba.
Arriba entered a guilty plea before the court heard impact statements from one of Lester's children and wife.
Lester’s daughter reading, "My dad was the coolest guy I’ll ever know. He wasn’t just my dad. He was my best friend... I’ll forever remember the question he asked me since I could remember. 'Who made you so beautiful?' he would always say, and I'd say 'You did.'"
Also adding what she experienced when she saw her dad in the hospital, "My dad was in the hospital with tubes, bags and more wires than I’ve ever seen a couple days later in the hospital room. We said goodbye to our dad."
She went on to say, "Every day I would receive a call from my dad. He would call on my drive to work at 7 a.m. On my drive home from work around 6 p.m. He always knew how to make my day. Today our lives are very different. Our family is suffering such an incredible loss. We lost the man who tied us all together. Holidays, birthdays and family dinners will never be the same without a goofball of a dad."
Forrest's wife said, "Lester’s last words to me were 'I gotta go.' I had a bad feeling in my stomach. No amount of jail time will ever be enough for the defendant. The defendant gets to live... Mary, Jordan, Kaitlyn and I must mourn the loss of Lester, their father and my partner in life. Lester was my best friend, and the defendant took this away from not only me but from his kids. I don’t know if I will ever be able to forgive the defendant. The defendant doesn’t deserve my forgiveness the defendant will have to live with us for the rest of his miserable life.
The victim's wife explained that Lazaro Arriba lived next door for 11 months and would often play loud music towards their house. Although there would be arguments from time to time, she said Lester and Lazaro were friends and still doesn't know why he stabbed her husband to death.
Arriba responded, "Any words that I can offer at this point would be insufficient. I don’t want to cause anybody any pain. I am truly sorry for what has transpired."
Arriba was sentenced to 15 years in Department of corrections and five years probation.
