GIRL WHOSE FAMILY WAS SLAIN NOW IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

Contra Costa Times
April 1 2010
CA

An Armenian girl who recently found her mother shot to death in
Hollywood, 18 months after she discovered the bodies of her father
and 9-year-old sister, who also were shot dead, has been placed in
protective custody, law enforcement sources said today.

The slayings of Karine Hakobyan, 38, Khachik Safaryan, 43, and their
9- year-old daughter, Lusine, appear to be targeted "hits" that may
have stemmed from a disagreement that Safaryan had with someone over
money or romance, said the sources, who requested anonymity because
they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

Los Angeles police Robbery-Homicide detectives in Hollywood were
investigating all three deaths, the most recent of which occurred
Friday.

Hakobyan’s body was found by Los Angeles police in the driver’s
seat of her Honda sport utility vehicle around 8:20 p.m. Friday. The
vehicle was parked in the 5800 block of Lexington Avenue in Hollywood,
according to police. The Honda was parked in a fenced-in, gated area.

Hakobyan’s husband and 9-year-old daughter were found shot to death in
December 2008 in their home on the 1200 block of Tamarind Avenue. The
couple’s other daughter discovered the deaths when she returned from
school on Dec. 11, 2008.

A $75,000 reward was offered in February 2009 for information leading
to the arrest of whoever killed them.

The victims have not been linked to any criminal activity in the
United States or Armenia, according to police.

An FBI spokeswoman would not immediately comment on whether a Justice
Department’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force has been deployed
to assist in the homicide investigations.

"Whatever the motive, whether it’s money or romance, these are
clearly hits," a local law enforcement source said. "There is no
coincidence here."