# 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.
- Title: Family mourns man killed by Beverly Hills teen in alley
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: vanik voskanyan, conoray lawantara, beverly hills, glendale, murder, stabbing, armenian, portsmouth abbey, debra white, judge keith schwartz, self-defense claim, news
- Source: California Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/15/us-news/loved-ones-demand-justice-for-man-fatally-slashed-in-alleyway-by-beverly-hills-teen
- Published: 2026-09-15T20:45:57+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: vanik voskanyan, conoray lawantara, beverly hills, glendale, murder, stabbing, armenian, portsmouth abbey, debra white, judge keith schwartz, self-defense claim, news
## 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.
## Key takeaway

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.