From California Post · · 1m 30s
Family mourns man killed by Beverly Hills teen in alley
Vanik Voskanyan's loved ones demand justice after he was fatally stabbed while going through trash in an alley.
In brief
Vanik Voskanyan's loved ones demand justice after he was fatally stabbed while going through trash in an alley. A 40-year-old Armenian man was stabbed to death by a wealthy Beverly Hills teen who claimed self-defense, but a judge said the victim was minding his own business. Originally reported by California Post.
Teen stabs man in alley
Conoray Lawantara, 19, allegedly stabbed Vanik Voskanyan, 40, as he dug through trash in a Beverly Hills alley on Aug. 30. Voskanyan died at the hospital.
Self-defense claim rejected
Lawantara's attorney said Voskanyan attacked first, but Judge Keith Schwartz said the victim was minding his own business and wasn't violent.
“He didn't approach, he wasn't violent. He was minding his own business.”
Stabbed like a horror movie
Judge Schwartz described the attack as brutal, saying the defendant stabbed Voskanyan repeatedly like in a horror movie.
“The defendant stabbed him repeatedly, like in a horror movie.”
Family demands justice
Voskanyan's uncle Armen Akopyan said he hopes justice is served because the suspect took an innocent man's life.
“I hope justice is served. Because [the suspect] took an innocent man's life.”
More than a single description
A friend disputed characterizing Voskanyan as homeless, saying he was a son, brother, and friend loved by many. He studied dentistry in Armenia before moving to Glendale in 2009.
“Vanik was much more than the circumstances of his death.”
Over 100 mourn at funeral
Family members dressed in black attended an open-casket service at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank before burial in Glendale.
Wealthy teen posts $2M bail
Lawantara attended Portsmouth Abbey, an $80,000-a-year boarding school in Rhode Island. He posted $2 million bail and pleaded not guilty to murder.
The short version
A 40-year-old Armenian man was stabbed to death by a wealthy Beverly Hills teen who claimed self-defense, but a judge said the victim was minding his own business.
