MAN FACES MURDER TRIAL IN CAR CRASH JUDGE SAYS DEFENDANT KNEW DANGERS OF RECKLESS DRIVING.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer PASADENA - A judge Monday ordered a Glendale man to stand trial on charges of second-degree murder in a car crash last year that killed a Burbank teen, saying the defendant knew the dangers of reckless driving reckless driving n. operation of an automobile in a dangerous manner under the circumstances, including speeding (or going too fast for the conditions, even though within the posted speed limit), driving after drinking (but not drunk), having too many passengers in . Andranik Atshemyan, 23, is accused of killing Oscar Torres Oscar Torres is the name of:
Pasadena Superior Court Judge Fred Fujioka concluded the hearing Monday by ruling Atshemyan should stand trial on second-degree murder charges rather than the lesser charge of manslaughter manslaughter, homicide committed without justification or excuse but distinguished from murder by the absence of the element of malice aforethought. Modern criminal statutes usually divide it into degrees, the most common distinction being between voluntary and . Before the collision, Atshemyan was twice stopped for speeding in Glendale, took a traffic school course and was involved in another collision that injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. himself and two others, Fujioka said. Atshemyan knew the dangers of unsafe driving, the judge said, adding that a less important factor was that he fled to Canada after the crash. ``Flight could be regarded by this court as a guilty state of mind,'' Fujioka said. ``And running as far as he did could indicate a really guilty state of mind.'' Atshemyan was caught in Canada on Thanksgiving Day, the same day Torres died from the injuries he suffered in the crash. Atshemyan's attorney, Jerry Kaplan, said he will appeal the case to try to get the charge reduced to manslaughter before trial begins. If convicted of second-degree murder, Atshemyan faces 15 years to life in prison, versus a maximum of six years for manslaughter. Meanwhile, during a hearing Friday, Atshemyan's 68-year-old grandmother was arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation Witness intimidation involves witnesses crucial to court proceedings being threatened in order to pressure or extort them not to testify. The refusal of key witnesses to testify commonly renders a case with inadequate physical evidence void in a court of law. and making terrorist threats. Marusya Zatkyan was held at a Glendale Police Department jail Monday with bail set at $200,000. She is scheduled to appear before a judge today and could be charged. ``(Atshemyan's) family is already at a loss as to why this is filed as a murder, this accident, and now they're arresting a 68-year-old lady,'' Kaplan said. Atshemyan, who is also charged with felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. hit-and-run and faces a maximum of 15 years to life in prison if convicted, hit a traffic island before colliding with the car that Torres was in, police said. Torres fought for life after the collision but died on Thanksgiving Thanksgiving annual U.S. holiday celebrating harvest and yearly blessings; originated with Pilgrims (1621). [Am. Culture: EB, IX: 922] See : America Thanksgiving national holiday with luxurious dinner as chief ritual. [Am. Pop. . Atshemyan's father was killed as a passenger in a traffic collision two years ago in Armenia, said his mother, Vardanush Zatkyan said. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com |
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