2 More Charged In Kidnapping, Murder Of Glendale Man
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two more people—including the brother of the original suspect—were charged Monday in the brutal death of a Glendale man.
Hovanes "John" Maskovian, 34, and Nazaret "Nick" Bayamdzhyan, 19, were added as co-defendants in an amended complaint in connection to the killing of 33-year-old Joshua West, who was beaten, run over by a car and shot before being dumped on a Sun Valley road on April 24.
KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reported that initially, only Hachik "Kriss" Maskovian, 28, was charged with murder.
2 More Charged In Kidnapping, Murder Of Glendale Man
"It was originally filed as a hate crime and murder with a special circumstance that it was committed in part based upon the sexual orientation of the victim," said Deputy District Attorney Geoffrey Lewin.
After further investigation, however, Lewin said it was determined the death wasn't a hate crime. He said John Maskovian dated West for about eight years. They had taken out insurance policies together before they broke up in December 2012. Lewin said West's policy appears to be the motive in the case.
The two brothers and Bayamdzhyan were charged with attempted kidnapping and murder, along with special circumstances allegations of lying in wait and murder for financial gain. The hate crime allegation brought against Kriss Maskovian was dropped.
The trio was denied bail. Their arraignment, which was scheduled for Monday, was postponed until Sept. 11.
Prosecutors will later decide whether to seek the death penalty.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)