In the bars and restaurants of Lower Greenville, this weekend seemed like any other: Tables swelled with old friends catching up over beers, eager to forget the stress of the week — and the grisly crime that happened blocks away.

"This is the busiest Friday we've had in a while," said a bartender at the Libertine Bar, where nearly every seat had filled by 5 p.m., including a chatty table of 12. "We don't usually get groups this big this early."

Up and down the popular avenue, the story was the same, despite the disturbing fate of 22-year-old Sara Hudson, a recent college graduate found slain in a burning SUV parked a short distance away from Greenville Avenue.

The consensus seemed to be that while what happened was a terrible thing, it could have happened anywhere.

"This is where people come to feel safe," said Kyle Buckelew, bar manager at the Alamo Club. "I don't think it will keep people away."

Brian Benavidez, a manager at ABV Establishment, across the street, agreed.

"People are, of course, shocked that it happened, but I would still call this neighborhood safe," said Benavidez, who referred to crime in another Dallas bar scene. "You hear about all that stuff that happens down in Deep Ellum, and it hasn't hurt their crowds. You go down there and it's still packed."

Hudson, who had recently returned to Dallas after graduating from the University of Arkansas, was killed August 19 as she headed out to celebrate her 22nd birthday. Glen Richter, 49, was arrested and booked early Thursday on a capital murder charge in connection with the slaying.

Sara Hudson had recently graduated from the University of Arkansas. (via Facebook)

Police have offered no motive for the attack, which police say happened between 4:40 and 7:35 p.m. That's when authorities found a white Chevrolet Tahoe burning in the 5600 block of Alta Avenue, a short walk away from Greenville Avenue.

"It was literally right where I take the garbage out," said the Alamo Club's Buckelew. "Our dumpster is right there. It just shows that bad things happen everywhere."

That the crime had occurred before dark in such a populated area was unnerving, though most said they considered it an isolated incident. And the fact that an arrest had been made offered comfort.

"I would feel a lot more unsafe if they had not caught the guy," said Kalee Cooksey, a nearby resident enjoying a drink with girlfriend Kerri Brown at ABV Establishment.

Even so, she said, the two talked about possibly arming themselves with mace when they walk to the area in the future.

1 / 3A garland of roses marks the spot where Sara Hudson was killed a few blocks west of Greenville Avenue in Dallas .(Lynda M. Gonzalez / Staff Photographer) 2 / 3A bartender pours a mixed drink at Alamo Club, not far from where a woman was killed last Monday.(Daniel Carde / Staff Photographer) 3 / 3People drink at ABV Establishment in Dallas.(Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer)

Next door, Laurel Tavern was abuzz with busy bartenders slinging beers for a full house, including one table surrounded by strollers and a trio of moms with babes in arm.

At the bar, Janna Jackson, a Park Cities resident there with friend Peyton Burgher of East Dallas, said the slaying "makes me more aware of my surroundings. But I'm still living my life. I refuse to live my life in fear."

Down the street, Kim Ness and Jeff McCallister had met for happy hour at the Libertine, not far from where Ness lives.

"This is a really safe area," Ness said. "I'm not afraid to go places by myself. It's a shame that it's been tainted."

Meanwhile, at Gung Ho, liquor brand reps Casey Savage and Yvette Stoddart wondered whether economic forces were to blame for this week's Lower Greenville attack and the summer crime wave plaguing the city.

"There's just such a clash," Stoddart said. "It's just a highly populated area, and you've got all these people with money, and then people with much less money."

Some friends who live in the nearby M Streets had recently been mugged, Stoddart said, and now rely on ride-share companies to get them to the area despite the relative proximity.

Savage, who currently lives in Hurst but is looking for a place in Dallas, said that while the city's ongoing wave of crime is unsettling, "I don't think this one incident is going to keep me out of Lower Greenville.

"I think it was a one-time thing," she said, "but that's the way I used to think about Deep Ellum. Now I will not go to Deep Ellum if it's after Wednesday."

At ABV, Cooksey and Brown agreed that unless criminal activity increases in the area, they'll continue to patronize Lower Greenville.

"You just have to be aware of your surroundings," Brown said. "We actually considered walking here tonight — and we would've, except for the heels."