Jorjik Avanesian

Background

Jorjik Avanesian was an Iranian immigrant from Iran who moved to Glendale about nine months before the fire. His family immigrated to the United States via Turkey. The Avanesians were religious refugees and arrived in the United States about nine months before the fire.

Jorjik Avanesian was 40 years old in the description tied to the February 6, 1996 killings, and he was also described as 43 at other points. At the time of his death in prison, he was described as 49 years old.

Avanesian killed his wife and six children by setting the family apartment ablaze in Glendale, California.

The offence

On February 6, 1996, Jorjik Avanesian set the lethal fire in a Glendale, California one-bedroom apartment. He poured gasoline on a towel, lit it, and tossed it into a room where his six children and his wife slept.

His wife was Turan, 37. Their children were ages 4 to 17. Their deaths were described as resulting from smoke inhalation in the one-bedroom apartment.

Fire officials could not explain why the Avanesians were trapped in their one-bedroom apartment and could not escape the fire.

Three bodies were found in the bathtub and another on the bathroom floor. Three bodies were also described as being found in the bedroom and four in the bathroom.

Investigation

After the killings, Avanesian fled the inferno with burns on his hands. He headed to the offices of Asre Emrooz, a Farsi-newspaper in Encino, to tell his side of the story. Avanesian was unaware of having charred his wife and six children.

He told authorities that he burnt down their home to scare his wife and that he was hoping to get a divorce and get her deported. When news came that the whole family was dead, Houshiar Nejad, the publisher, called the cops.

In connection with the fire, prosecutors presented a videotape in which Avanesian told police he waited for a sign from God telling him not to set the fire, but the sign never came. On the tape, Avanesian said:

"I wanted us all to die"

Later accounts of what he told police also included that he killed his family because he believed his wife and oldest daughter were involved in pornography.

Arrest

Avanesian was arrested Feb. 6, 1996, just hours after the bodies of his family were found in their smoldering apartment in suburban Glendale.

His sister, Maro Ovanesyan, told authorities that he had been arrested in Iran for trying to stab his wife. She also indicated he had been arrested in the United States for using excessive force disciplining one of his children.

His wife complained to police that he threw a chair at one of the children and brandished a knife. He served no jail time but received counseling.

Three months before the fire, he brandished a knife at his 17-year-old daughter, and he slapped and threw a stool at his 8-year-old son. He was told to get counseling at an Armenian charity but never showed up. Prosecutors said bystanders heard his family screaming from inside the burning apartment, but Avanesian refused to unlock the apartment-complex gate so they could be rescued.

Trial

During the trial, defense lawyers contended that Avanesian was delusional and feared his family was tainted by drugs. They argued that Avanesian believed his wife and two older daughters shamed the family by taking drugs that made them promiscuous.

Their defence also took this further by saying that Avanesian feared that his wife and daughters were tainted by drugs and were making pornographic movies. The narrative included a statement that there was no proof whatsoever that the wife and daughters were making pornographic movies.

During trial, prosecutors said the jury deadlocked on whether to recommend the death penalty.

A Pasadena Superior Court jury convicted Avanesian of seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson.

Jurors took only 75 minutes to find Avanesian guilty on seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson.

Following his guilty verdict, Avanesian’s only request was to see the coroners photos of his dead family.

Sentencing

A sentence was imposed on July 1, 1999. The sentencing described his punishment as life in prison without possibility of parole.

It was also described that because the Pasadena Superior Court jury deadlocked on whether to recommend the death penalty, prosecutors settled on a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Jorjik Avanesian was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 1, 1999.

On May 14, 2005, he died in prison by suicide by hanging from a bedsheet in the prison infirmary.

When he died, a prison inmate convicted of murdering his wife and six children nine years ago in Glendale’s worst mass murder was found dead. A correctional officer found the inmate hanging from a sheet attached to a ceiling air vent in the prison’s infirmary about 11:10 p.m. Monday.

Prison medical staff and paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, but could not revive him. He had been in the prison infirmary for medical reasons. Preliminary reports suggested that the inmate committed suicide, and an investigation was initiated by prison officials to determine events leading up to the death.

California State Prison-Los Angeles County spokesman Lt. Ken Lewis said in a written statement:

"Preliminary reports have suggested that the inmate committed suicide"

"As a result, an investigation has been initiated by prison officials to determine events leading up to the death."

Prison officials did not release the man’s name because they could not locate his next of kin to inform them of his death. Coroner’s officials confirmed he was Jorjik Avanesian.

A full autopsy was described as being standard policy for deaths that occur in jails or prisons. Coroner’s officials said a full autopsy will be conducted.

Psychiatrists testified that Avanesian was delusional, but he denied he was insane. His trial was delayed for more than two years while he was treated in a state mental hospital.

Aftermath

He had been in state prisons since his 2000 conviction and had been at the Lancaster prison since April. A correctional officer found him hanging from a sheet attached to a ceiling air vent in the prison’s infirmary about 11:10 p.m. Monday.

Other details

It was described that during an earlier period, around May 1995, the Avanesian family, from Iran, immigrated to the United States via Turkey.

It was also described that Avanesian believed his wife and oldest daughter were involved in pornography, and that he killed his family because the sign from God never came and because he wanted all to die, as he told police on a videotape.

Houshiar Nejad was identified as the publisher who called the cops when news came that the whole family was dead.

Maro Ovanesyan was identified as Avanesian’s sister who told authorities about his prior arrest in Iran for trying to stab his wife.