DEMIRDJIAN GUILTY TEEN-AGE MURDERER FACES LIFE IN PRISON.Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer SAN FERNANDO San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. - A jury convicted 16-year-old Michael Demirdjian on Thursday of brutally murdering two teen-age boys on a Glendale school playground last year, leaving him facing the possibility of life in prison. Demirdjian, standing trial as an adult, was found guilty by the seven-woman, five-man jury of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances special circumstances n. in criminal cases, particularly homicides, actions of the accused or the situation under which the crime was committed for which state statutes allow or require imposition of a more severe punishment. - torture and double murder. He was acquitted on robbery charges. This was his second trial; the first ended in a deadlocked jury. Friends and family of the victims - Blaine Talmo Jr., 14, and Chris McCulloch, 13 - found little solace in the verdict. ``Our boys are gone,'' said Blaine's father, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County sheriff's Sgt. Blaine Talmo Sr. ``No family deserves to be left like this.'' Demirdjian was accused of bludgeoning the boys to death July 23, 2000, on the playground of Valley View Elementary School elementary school: see school. in Glendale to avenge a botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. marijuana deal. ``(Jurors) absolutely reached the right result,'' said Deputy District Attorney Truc Do. Demirdjian will be sentenced Dec. 4. Under state law, a defendant under 18 cannot face the death penalty, even though Demirdjian was tried as an adult. ``Are we confident Mr. Demirdjian was involved in this killing? Yes, we feel the evidence proves that. That's why he was not tried as a juvenile,'' said District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons Famous people named Gibbons include:
The teen's attorney, Charles Mathews Charles Mathews (June 28, 1776 - June 28, 1835) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well-known during his time for his gift for impersonation. His play, At Home, in which he played every character, was the first monopolylogue and the defining work in the genre. , called the verdict ``horribly wrong'' and said he will appeal. ``The real tragedy is that the person who committed this crime ... is free ... and (my client) is being made the third victim,'' Mathews said. The defense laid blame on 19-year-old Adam Walker of Glendale, saying Walker killed the teens while a drunken Demirdjian merely watched. Prosecutors say the investigation came to other conclusions. ``(Demirdjian's) story of Adam Walker was wrong ... and it's still wrong,'' said District Attorney Steven Barshop, noting that investigators are looking at the possible involvement of at least three others. Jurors said the telling fact was that police found some of McCulloch's blood at Demirdjian's home. Police also found Talmo's empty wallet, which the defense claimed Demirdjian picked up after Walker got rid of it. ``The defense tried to say the blood was there because of police error ... That absolutely was absurd,'' said a 33-year-old juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. , who asked not to be identified. In addition, the juror said, Demirdjian walked away from the scene of the slayings instead of running, as he would have if someone else had been the killer. ``If he was scared ... he would have run away,'' the juror said. In the first vote among jurors, 11 voted for conviction. The lone holdout hold·out n. One that withholds agreement or consent upon which progress is contingent. Noun 1. holdout - a negotiator who hopes to gain concessions by refusing to come to terms; "their star pitcher was a holdout for six joined the rest when it was explained that aiding and abetting a·bet tr.v. a·bet·ted, a·bet·ting, a·bets 1. To approve, encourage, and support (an action or a plan of action); urge and help on. 2. constituted guilt, the juror said. Juror Jim Roberts, 58, of Granada Hills said the difficulty in reaching a verdict was on the robbery charges. ``There was evidence of blood and things of that sort that convinced us he was a part of the scene,'' Roberts said. ``As far as the robbery, there was not enough evidence.'' CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Michael Demirdjian listens to the jury return a verdict of guilty in the slayings of two younger boys. (2 -- 4; 2 -- 3 -- color) Alana and Blaine Talmo Sr. were somber outside the courthouse after hearing a guilty verdict returned against their son's killer, Blaine, far left top, and Chris McCulloch. (5) Blaine Talmo's grandmother, center, listens in the courtroom as Michael Demirdjian is found guilty of her grandson's murder. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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