Man Gets Life for Killing His Family

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 death, but jurors split 6-6 on what penalty to recommend.

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Eleanor Hunter had initially announced her office would seek a retrial on the question of execution, but on Thursday she said she changed her mind because she realized a second trial would probably also end with 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 jury thought Avanesian, 43, suffered from delusions, wrongfully believing that his wife and eldest daughters were involved with drugs and pornographic movies. In a confession to authorities, Avanesian said he was directed by his prayers to commit the killings.

The rest of the jury agreed with the prosecution that whatever Avanesian’s mental illness, he knew what he was doing when he coldly calculated 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 was clearly insane and should be imprisoned forever, but not executed.

Among Avanesian’s delusions were that the Iranian Mafia, the 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, saying he was not crazy.

Hunter said Avanesian decided to kill his family because his wife would not divorce him. She said he planned to set their Harvard Street apartment on fire, buying gasoline and an ax. He set several fires that would trap the family in the one-bedroom apartment. He went ahead with the crime even after his children awoke and began to scream, and took the time to hide evidence after the killing.

“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 added.

Avanesian had been arrested earlier after his wife told authorities 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 convincing immigration officials that his imprisonment was a case of persecution.

During the trial, Perlo said Avanesian had intended to die with his family in the blaze, but that he was scared off when one of his children awoke. Two psychiatrists hired by the defense testified that Avanesian suffered from delusions, although they disagreed about Avanesian’s sanity at the time of the crimes.

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.