Man Gets Life in Prison for Killing Wife, 6 Children

A mentally ill Glendale man who set the fire that killed his wife and six children was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after prosecutors decided against seeking the death penalty.

Jorjik Avanesian, who at one point was found incompetent to stand trial, was convicted in July of the seven murders that made him eligible for the death penalty. But jurors split 6 to 6 on which sentence to recommend.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Eleanor Hunter had initially announced that a retrial on the issue of execution would be sought. But on Thursday, she said she changed her mind because she realized that a second trial probably would end in a hung jury.

“I still think he deserves the death penalty,” Hunter said. “But I don’t think 12 people will agree on that.”

Half of the first jury thought that because Avanesian, 43, appeared to have suffered delusions, including the belief that his wife and eldest daughters were involved in drugs and pornographic movies, he should be spared execution. In a confession to authorities, Avanesian said he prayed about his family and was directed to kill them all.

The rest of the jury agreed with the prosecution that whatever Avanesian’s mental illness, he knew what he was doing when he planned the 1996 murders of his wife, Turan, 37, and six children, ages 4 to 17.

Deputy Public Defender Stanley Perlo, who represented Avanesian, could not be reached for comment Thursday. He had argued that his client clearly is insane and should be imprisoned forever but not executed.

Among Avanesian’s delusions were that the Iranian Mafia, Glendale police, his lawyer and court interpreters were conspiring against him, according to his lawyer. Perlo said he tried to persuade Avanesian to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. But the defendant refused.

Hunter said Avanesian decided to kill his family because his wife wouldn’t divorce him. She said he bought gasoline and an ax as he made plans to set their one-bedroom Harvard Street apartment on fire. Avanesian set several fires to trap the family. Even after his children awoke and began screaming, he took the time to hide evidence.

“He’s able to look at his kids burning and walk away,” Hunter said. “Complete strangers try to help his kids and their father walks away and leaves because he didn’t want to be married anymore.

“The death penalty is made for somebody like that,” she said.

Avanesian had been arrested earlier, after his wife told authorities that he threw a chair at one of their children and brandished a knife. Authorities declined to prosecute, sending Avanesian to counseling instead.

He also told police that he served eight months in an Iranian prison for stabbing his wife, but was allowed into the United States in 1995 after persuading immigration officials that his imprisonment was a case of persecution.

The defendant’s mental health has been an issue in the case from the start, with Superior Court Judge Janice Croft finding Avanesian mentally unfit to aid in his defense early in the case. After he underwent psychiatric treatment, she decided he was competent to stand trial.