CA - Alberd Tersargyan charged in 4 murders, Los Angeles, 2008 & 2010

[elle1919]

Nothing really new in video audio except that neighbors were spanish-speaking and didn't hear anything. Once again, they reported the surviving daughter as being a 15 yo. Also, saying the car was found a few blocks away.

Agree not much new info. One thing I did find interesting though was when the neighbors were interviewed at the apartment building, a gentlemen neighbor said he heard no gun shots that night at all. Looked like pretty close quarters in there to me too. Gun was silenced maybe? Very thought provoking case.

 

[SuziQ]

The daughter is under police protection. Also stated is the family has no know criminal activity. So that picture would not be a mugshot. It's also explained that the muders occured before the 9 year old had a chance to leave for school.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-little-armenia30-2010mar30,0,4745149.storyhttp://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200301336W

(snip)
Detectives said they are keeping a close eye on the girl, making sure she has access to counseling and protection as she deals with the tragedies. Whelan described her as good student who planned to go to college. She's showing remarkable strength amid the violence that has befallen the family, he added.

"She's very intelligent, and very well-grounded despite of this horrific thing that has happened to her," Whelan said. "She's held up in some regards better than some of the family members around her."

The violence began Dec. 11, 2008. That morning, the girl's sister Lucine was to recite a poem in school, her first one in English. But she never had the chance.

Police believe that the gunman entered the family's apartment between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. -- after the 12-year-old girl went to school but before her younger sister could leave. There were no reports of gunshots and the bodies were not discovered until the girl came home from school that afternoon.

ETA: I fixed the link (original link was from an unrelated case) I apologize for the confusion!

 

[SuziQ]

Detectives investigating the slayings of three members of a Hollywood family are looking into the possibility that the crimes might be a connected to a personal relationship involving the father of the family, a law enforcement source told The Times.
Police have said they have no evidence that the victims were linked to any criminal activities either in L.A. or in Armenia, where they emigrated from in 2003. Authorities said they have several theories in the case but have declined to provide details.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said one angle detectives are pursuing involved a "personal relationship" that soured involving Khachik Safaryan.

(more at link)
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...-slaying-of-hollywood-family-source-says.html

 

[i.b.nora]

This is really an interesting 'story' to me. I hope that latimesbogs keeps reporting on it. It is kind of the quintessential Hollywood murder mystery. Shades of Raymond Chandler, Phillip Marlowe.

 

[SuziQ]

LA police probe romantic links in family's deaths

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14801062

 

[SuziQ]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14799694?nclick_check=1

(snips)

An Armenian girl who recently found her mother shot to death in Hollywood, 18 months after she discovered the bodies of her father and 9-year-old sister, who also were shot dead, has been placed in protective custody, law enforcement sources said today. The slayings of Karine Hakobyan, 38, Khachik Safaryan, 43, and their 9- year-old daughter, Lusine, appear to be targeted "hits" that may have stemmed from a disagreement that Safaryan had with someone over money or romance, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.


An FBI spokeswoman would not immediately comment on whether a Justice Department's Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force has been deployed to assist in the homicide investigations. "Whatever the motive, whether it's money or romance, these are clearly hits," a local law enforcement source said. "There is no coincidence here."

 

[i.b.nora]

Hollywood killer slashed woman's throat, shot her in head, coroner says

This from the LA Times blogs, we learn a little bit more:

"A woman found slain at a Hollywood carport -- one of three family members killed under mysterious circumstances -- was shot in the head and slashed in the throat with a knife, according to the L.A. County Coroner's Office.

The new details come as the Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate the killings.

Detectives on the case are looking into the possibility that the crimes might be connected to a personal relationship involving the father of the family, a law enforcement source told The Times."

and

"Authorities said they have several theories in the case but have declined to provide details.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said one angle detectives are pursuing involved a "personal relationship" that soured involving Khachik Safaryan."

 

[SuziQ]

This story caught my eye tonight.

4 dead in 'blood bath' at Valley restaurant

At least two other people are injured as gunman opens fire at a mom-and-pop cafe in Valley Village.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-restaurant-shooting4-2010apr04,0,5761616.story

(snip)
Law enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because the investigation is ongoing, said they believe the shooting might have involved Armenian gangs.

But they also said that they have no evidence that the victims were involved in gangs, noting that the case is in its early stages.

 

[jjenny]

Hollywood killer slashed woman's throat, shot her in head, coroner says

This from the LA Times blogs, we learn a little bit more:

"A woman found slain at a Hollywood carport -- one of three family members killed under mysterious circumstances -- was shot in the head and slashed in the throat with a knife, according to the L.A. County Coroner's Office.

The new details come as the Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate the killings.

Detectives on the case are looking into the possibility that the crimes might be connected to a personal relationship involving the father of the family, a law enforcement source told The Times."

and

"Authorities said they have several theories in the case but have declined to provide details.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said one angle detectives are pursuing involved a "personal relationship" that soured involving Khachik Safaryan."

Why slash throat since she was shot in the head?
That certainly sounds like an overkill and something personal. I really hope police moves that 15 year old somewhere and keep her in protective custody.

 

[Belinda]

This is just a very strange story. The fact that the murders of the father and sister was never solved and now the mother has been killed as well is awful. I feel so sorry for the girl and hope that the rest of her family will have enough sense to get her out of that state. Something evil is hunting their family.

 

[i.b.nora]

Still don't know yet if the restaurant murders are related to the Safaryan and Hakobyan murders, but ...

http://californiadolphin.com/los_angeles.php

5 Apr 2010 at 2:00am

"The owner of the Mediterranean eatery says the six Armenian victims were the last of a group of 30 to 40 who had rented the restaurant after a funeral."

"The owner ... said Sunday that police retrieved video from a camera at the entrance that shows who entered and left the building."

 

[NewMommy09]

I have a weird feeling that the remaining daughter is more involved with this than is known at this time. But not necessarily that she had anything to do with the murders.
I find it odd that these murders have been deemed to most likely be connected, and seem to be execution style murders. It seems these types of killers are generally very thorough and plan things out very well. That is evidenced by the fact that the father and young daughters murders are still unsolved, etc.
With that said, I find it odd that all 3 murders took place while the older daughter was gone. Almost as if planned that way. When the father and Lucine were murdered, it happened in between the elder daughter leaving for school but before Lucine had the chance to leave, and seems to be quite a small time frame. Could someone have watched for the elder daughter to leave? Is the elder daughter maybe the actual target, and the murders of her family have been to torture her? Maybe an angry suitor or want-to-be suitor? Or somebody that is killing off her family to get to her?

I may be way off here, but it's just striking me as so odd that these seem to be professional killings and they keep "missing" the oldest daughter. And also that she just happened to be the one to find all 3 bodies.

I hope she is okay, I would be horrendously traumatized.

 

[t93]

If she isn't involved, can you imagine the terror or being the last of a family, each member executed one by one? It's like a real life horror film!

 

[jjenny]

She was 12 when her father and sister were murdered. I think it is a very far fetched idea that the murders were done to torture her.

 

[curves]

Could the youngest daughter have been in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' leaving the killer no choice but to get rid of any witnesses? That might explain why the oldest daughter has not been harmed - it was always a grudge against the parents. Bless her, I couldn't imagine dealing with what she has had to face at such a young age, or in fact at any age.

 

[NewMommy09]

Could the youngest daughter have been in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' leaving the killer no choice but to get rid of any witnesses? That might explain why the oldest daughter has not been harmed - it was always a grudge against the parents. Bless her, I couldn't imagine dealing with what she has had to face at such a young age, or in fact at any age.

BBM. It's definitely possible.
But, I noticed on one of the articles posted by SuziQ, the the time of death for the little girl is 5 minutes prior to that of the father. It doesn't seem they hesitated at all to kill this little girl. JMO

 

[NewMommy09]

She was 12 when her father and sister were murdered. I think it is a very far fetched idea that the murders were done to torture her.

You may be right. However, I feel the need to explore any and all scenario's in this and any case I follow. Keep in mind that in many countries women are seen as objects that men have the right to own. And many times when masses of people from other countries flee because of tragedy, they carry on their cultures and views wherever they settle. Many Armenian people came to the USA to escape the genocide and horrible things that went on in their country. Many of these crimes, including rape and sexual enslavement, were committed against women and girls.

While this article is not about this particular case, I would like to post it here for reference.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2009/12/24/theriault-never-ending-rape/

 

[reen]

If she isn't involved, can you imagine the terror or being the last of a family, each member executed one by one? It's like a real life horror film!

No doubt! I hope she has some really major protection from LE 24 hours a day while this case is worked on...and I hope it's more than just the "keeping a close eye on her" as that one LEO said. She needs a bulletproof house and Terminator style bodyguards!

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I don't know if she is involved but it is very hard to dismiss that both times she went unscathed and both times she is the one that found them.

Is it an uncanny coincidence? Maybe or maybe not.

imo

 

[jjenny]

The only updates I could find is that police were looking at possible romantic link between one of the parents and a third party.
This is such a strange case.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14801062.