Los Angeles

New Details Show How Father Planned to Kill His 5-Year-Old Son

Aramazd Andressian Sr. originally claimed his innocence until Aug. 1, when he pleaded guilty to the murder of his 5-year-old son.

A probation report involving a man sentenced to 25 years to life in prison this week after admitting to smothering his son to death describes disturbing statements the man gave to officers about his planning and motivation for the murder.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, was dirty and dusty in April when police found him passed out, the palms of his hands with scratches, fingernails filled with dirt.

Over the next several months, Los Angeles County Sheriff's homicide detectives were on the hunt.

"I bet they think of me like some Casey Anthony," Andressian told a booking officer, referring to the well-publicized case of the Florida mother accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, according to the probation report.

Andressian confessed to using a jacket to smother his son, Aramazd Andressian Jr., known as "Piqui" and leaving his body by a tree, according to a probation report obtained by the NBC4 I-Team. He was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder.

Authorities said Andressian killed his son in the midst of a bitter divorce from the boy's mother, Ana Estevez, who called police when Andressian failed to return their son as planned on April 22.

In the report is a transcript of a call Andressian made to his mother while in jail on April 23.

"Has my name been on the news?" he asked.

His mother asked if Aramazd Andressian Jr. ran away.

"He hasn't run away," Andressian said. "They're lies. Don't listen to them."

The report shows Andressian searched the internet for "wilderness areas near Solvang," where the boy's body was found.

The report also says Andressian turned off his phone so he could not be tracked. Investigators say it's a sign of planning the murder.

The report says Andressian partied with prostitutes and went sky diving in Las Vegas following his initial release from custody.

Probation officers concluded "although the defendant blames the crime on anger toward the victim's mother, his behavior indicates anger and hatred toward the victim."

At the sentencing Wednesday, the boy's mother made an emotional plea for the judge to give her ex-husband the maximum penalty.

"Everything good in my life is missing since my son, Piqui, was taken from me," Ana Estevez, told Superior Court Judge Cathryn F. Brougham. "I wish that I was taken instead of my son ... Your honor, life without my son is my sentence."

Speaking directly to her estranged husband, Estevez said, "For Aramazd Andressian Sr., I pity you. You are a failure as a father, you are a failure as a man. You are a failure as a human."

Andressian had planned to speak during the sentencing hearing, but opted against it when the judge said he would have to give his statement under oath and it would be subject to cross-examination.

Andressian's attorney, Ambrosio Rodriguez, spoke on his behalf, saying, "I want to pass on his deep, deep regret and remorse as to what happened."

In a news conference after the court hearing Wednesday, Estevez said she partially blames the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services for her son's death.

The couple traded accusations of misconduct during a bitter divorce and custody legal battle.

Estevez had filed for sole custody days before dropping off her son on April 15 for a new, weekly custody arrangement with Andressian.

Court documents show she feared Andressian would take their son out of the country. Documents filed by the mother also claim the father had requested a copy of the boy's birth certificate in March, in violation of their court order.

Investigators say Piqui was killed some time on April 21.

DCFS officials expressed sympathy in "this senseless and tragic child death, but declined to comment citing privacy laws.

"We want to assure the public that our social workers work every day to ensure the safety of children across our county and that we thoroughly assess every allegation of child abuse that is reported to us," the statement said.

DCFS officials also encouraged the public to use the Child Protection Hotline at 1-800-540-4000 with any concerns over child safety.

Family members and friends are raising money to pay tribute to the boy with  a memorial tree to be planted at the Arbetorum in Arcadia, one of his favorite parks and a bench at Garfield Park in South Pasadena.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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