Inmate, 2 Others Indicted in Alleged Murder Plot
Three people, including a man currently serving a lengthy prison term, were indicted on federal charges for allegedly plotting the slaying of a Glendale man, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
A federal grand jury Thursday indicted Garen Zakarian, 35, who is serving an 85-year sentence at the federal penitentiary at Lompoc for the 1994 robbery and murder of Glendale travel agent Benita Mikhailian.
Zakarian’s brother, Arshak, 30, and Kristine Arutunyan, 29, both of Glendale, were also named in the indictment for their alleged role in a murder-for-hire plan to kill Artur Simonian, 35, of Glendale.
The plot was part of a plan to overturn Garen Zakarian’s conviction with false new testimony, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Arutunyan and Arshak Zakarian are scheduled for arraignment Monday in U.S. District Court. Garen Zakarian will be transferred from the prison to Los Angeles to face the new charges.
Charges against the three range from using international commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire to witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
Arutunyan is Simonian’s estranged wife, and she was allegedly to be paid to fabricate an alibi for Garen Zakarian in the 1994 robbery and murder.
Simonian was considered an obstacle to that plan, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
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