Case Name: People of the State of California v. Vartan Karapetyan

Case Description: Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder which arose out of a business dispute between the defendant and one of the two ultimate victims over a stolen check in the amount of $160,000. After a period of several weeks the controversy culminated in a shootout in broad daylight on the streets of Hollywood between two groups of Armenian men, both of whom had ties to Armenian organized crime. When the dust settled, two men lay dead.  

The case involved an untangling of and presentation of evidence of the underlying dispute over the check (as this was highly relevant to motive) as well as a very complicated crime scene. The physical evidence was difficult to interpret due to the fact that numerous individuals were armed and at least four (including the defendant and a hired gun from the Armenian mafia that he brought with him to settle the matter) fired weapons at various points in the shootout. In fact, the weight of the evidence suggested that it was actually one victim's brother who fired the shots that actually killed him. The shifting allegiances, past and present, and countless inconsistent statements of a number of participants and witnesses to both the suspect financial transactions and the shootout muddied the waters further.  

The legal theories involved were also numerous and unusually complex, including issues of self-defense, provocation, premeditation, aiding and abetting, natural and probable consequences, and conspiracy.   

After over a week of deliberations, the jury convicted defendant Karapetyan of two counts of second degree murder as well as firearms enhancements. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.