Suspect Arrested in Los Angeles Armenian Family Murders
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of three members of an Armenian family who immigrated to the U.S. in 2003.
There is evidence that a man in his 70s is involved in the slayings according to law enforcement and the Los Angeles Times.
The arrest comes after Khachik Safaryan and his 8-year-old daughter Lusine were found shot to death in their apartment in December 2008. The discovery was made by Safaryan’s 12-year-old daughter.
Less than two years later, on Friday, March 26, 2010, Safaryan’s widow Karine Hakobyan was gunned down in her car near the first crime scene. Her daughter made the discovery, once again.
The L.A. Times reports that the girl drafter a letter to President Obama and other leaders to ask for help in solving the case, but never sent it.
“I am hoping that you, Mr. President, will find time to put pressure … to solve the hideous murder of my beloved sister and father,” she wrote. “I still see the bloody bodies of my sister and my father as I found them that day.”
Los Angeles police offered a hefty reward for information in connection with Safaryan’s murder, however there seemed to be no news of anyone coming forward. An commentator on an L.A. Weekly post about Hakobyan’s murder said it was because Armenians stay silent about these issues.
“I’m not surprised that a $75,000 reward hasn’t moved a leaf in the Armenian community,” wrote JusticeNeedstoBeServed.” Armenians are known to shut-up, instead of being courageous and taking a stand on these issues. I’m sure, someone out there knows something, has heard someone fuming about something. Even if you think what you know is too little or too insignificant to matter, please SPEAK UP ASAP, call your local police department as soon as possible. Come on! This young girl lost her whole family. Let’s get her the justice she’s yearning for. Don’t let this serial killer loose in our community.”
In early April, detectives were investigating if the killings were the result of a romantic triangle involving one of the parents, reported AP, however police said it was only one of the theories being investigated.
