Glendale Man on Trial for Fire

A 38-year-old northeast Glendale man is on trial in Pasadena for allegedly setting fire to his grandmother’s room in Wonderview Drive March of 2005.

Antranik Khajarian allegedly doused his 94-year-old grandmother’s room with gasoline and then set it on fire on March 1.

Arpine Demerjian died from injuries sustained in the fire. Khajarian was arrested the following day by border patrol agents when he was attempting to return to the U.S. from Mexico.

Khajarian faces felony counts of murder, of arson causing great bodily injuries, of arson of an inhabited structure and of possession of a flammable material.

“We’re seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole,” said Sandi Gibbons with the District Attorney’s office.

Khajarian also faced two counts of attempted murder that were dismissed during a previous trial meeting.