Las Vegas Sun
Dec 2 2004
Trial begins in two deaths at jewelry story
By Matt Pordum
LAS VEGAS SUN
The guilt or innocence of a man accused of robbing a downtown jewelry
store and slaying the owners, a mother and daughter, may come down to
whether or not a jury believes in the credibility of the science and
reliability of surveillance videotape.
Avetis Archanian, 46, is facing the death penalty, charged with the
Nov. 29 murders of Elisa Del Prado, 65, and her mother, Juana Maria
Quiroga, 86, owners of World Merchants Importers in downtown Las
Vegas.
Archanian was originally charged with attempted murder of Del Prado,
who died in after being in a coma in March, but a grand jury changed
the charge to murder.
In opening arguments on Wednesday, District Attorney David Roger said
DNA evidence and videotape recovered from the jewelry store’s
security cameras would clearly show the jury “there is a killer in
the courtroom” and that killer, he said, is Archanian.
Roger alleges that shortly after Del Prado and Quiroga opened their
store on the morning of Nov. 29, Archanian, who worked as a part-time
jewelry repairman, arrived and “exchange(d) pleasantries” with the
women.
Roger said Archanian, who was wearing all black, then headed back to
his repair room. Five minutes later Del Prado walked back to the
repair room and never returned. Seven minutes later, Roger said,
Quiroga “walk(ed) quickly” back to the repair room before a second
later being seen struggling to get out of the room.
Roger said Archanian then “knocks her down” and proceeds to open the
jewelry display cases and begins looting the contents. After making
sure the victims are dead, Roger said, Archanian leaves the store
with a briefcase and heads west to a parking garage.
About 15 minutes later, Roger told the jury, the tape shows Archanian
pacing in front of the store.
When the police arrived, Roger said, Archanian told them he came to
the store at 10 a.m. that morning, and when no one let him in, he
looked inside and saw two bodies lying motionless on the flood. He
said authorities allowed Archanian to leave, but soon realized he was
the suspect.
Roger said when the police found a VCR seemingly hooked up to the
store’s security cameras, they were dismayed to discover the tape was
missing. But when Del Prado’s son arrived on the scene, he told the
police that the tape “was a dummy,” explaining that the cameras
really recorded digitally.
After reviewing the footage the officers recognized the man
committing the acts as Archanian and set up surveillance at his home,
according to the district attorney.
Roger said Archanian was pulled over by officers after leaving his
home with his wife and he “immediately started sweating” and “feeling
weak at the knees” once the officers explained he was under arrest
for murder.
Officers later searched Archanian’s home and found a briefcase, black
pants and leather gloves all stained with blood. DNA analysis
indicated that the blood came from Del Prado and Quiroga, according
to Roger.
Blood from the victims was also found on the exterior of Archanian’s
driver’s side door, and inside the car, under the driver’s seat, a
toolbox containing jewelry stolen from the store was found.
Roger said the evidence shows Archanian used a hammer and a
ring-sizer to commit the murders. The coroner’s office determined
both women died of multiple blunt force trauma to the head.
After listening to Roger lay out a case supported both by DNA and
video evidence, Archanian’s attorney, Mace Yampolsky, asked the jury
a question that they may well have been wondering: “Why are you
here?”
Yampolsky explained Archanian is granted a trial by jury by law. He
said while there is DNA evidence, “science is fallible.”
The defense attorney argued that “images can be changed and the video
is extremely grainy.” He also suggested “computers are not
infallible” as he explained to the jury that the security tape came
from a computer.
He told the jury Archanian was a man who in 1977 at the age of 20
escaped the Soviet Union and came to America with only $1,500 in his
pocket and supported his family as a jewelry repairman.
Yampolsky patted Archanian, who’s first language is Armenian, on the
back as he told the jury his client has been married for 21 years and
has a 19-year-old son. He asked them to “defend your opinion” as they
hear the case.
The prosecution was scheduled to begin its case this afternoon before
District Judge Donald Mosley.