Woodland Hills Man Indicted in Girl’s Killing : Crime: Hooman Ashkan Panah, 22, could face death penalty in the assault and slaying of Nicole Parker, 8.

A grand jury indicted a Woodland Hills man Thursday in the abduction, sexual assault and slaying of 8-year-old Nicole Parker, whose body was discovered in the defendant’s bedroom closet, sources close to the case said Friday.

Hooman Ashkan Panah, 22, who faces the death penalty, will appear in Los Angeles Superior Court for an arraignment Tuesday morning, when the indictment is scheduled to be unsealed, the sources said.

The sources said Panah faces charges of murder during a kidnaping, murder during child molestation and murder during sodomy. If Panah is convicted on any of the three charges, punishment would be either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

Prosecutors presented evidence to the grand jury for two days this week before the indictment was issued, according to the sources. Los Angeles Police Detective Joel Price, who headed the investigation, confirmed that he appeared before the panel, but he refused other comment.

Nicole’s nude body was found Nov. 21 stuffed in a suitcase that was hidden in Panah’s bedroom closet. The body was found the day after she disappeared from the courtyard of the Ventura Boulevard apartment complex where both her father and Panah lived.

Nicole had been choked, but a coroner’s autopsy determined the child died from “traumatic injuries.”

Until he is arraigned on the indictment, Panah remains accused in a criminal complaint of kidnaping, forced oral copulation, sodomy and murder. Panah was arrested Nov. 21 on those charges and entered not guilty pleas.

Panah recently hired a new attorney--Robert Michael Sheahen of Century City, who is the third lawyer to work on Panah’s defense. Sheahen was not available for comment Friday.

Panah made incriminating statements to police, court documents show. Furthermore, a female friend reported that Panah said he “was involved in something real bad” in relation to the missing girl and that there was a videotape that “made him look real bad.”

In Panah’s bedroom, investigators found camera equipment and tapes showing Panah having sex with adult women. However, a tape showing Nicole--if such a video does exist--has never been found.

As they were searching Panah’s residence in the hopes of finding that videotape, police found Nicole’s body about 36 hours after she disappeared.

A judge previously ordered Panah to produce a saliva sample, suggesting that authorities hope to use DNA evidence to further link him to the killing.