Andressian Guilty: South Pasadena Father Admits To Murdering His Little Boy

SOUTH PASADENA, CA — A South Pasadena father who killed his 5-year-old son, hid his body and stood by while an entire community frantically searched for the child, pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, will be sentenced Aug. 23, and he faces 25 years to life in prison for killing Aramazd Andressian Jr. and dumping his body in in Santa Barbara County. Prosecutors said Andressian killed his little boy to keep him from his estranged wife amid a bitter custody battle.

Ana Estevez, the boy's mother, attended the brief court hearing in Alhambra, carrying her son's ashes in an urn.

Authorities have not said how the boy died.

"Today, Mr. Andressian took responsibility for what he did and he pled guilty to first-degree murder," defense attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez told reporters outside court. "It was Mr. Andressian, when he was brought back from Las Vegas, that gave the officers the information as to where his son was buried.

Today marks the beginning of an end to this awful tragedy and the hope that in the future, the family -- and not just the mother's side, but also the father's side of the family -- can begin to get what closure they can from this tragedy," he said.

Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum said the boy's killing was premeditated and deliberate, calling it a "horribly tragic case." He noted that Andressian made an open plea to the court, meaning there was no agreement with prosecutors on what sentence he will receive.

According to police, Andressian Sr. planned the murder at length, taking the child to Disneyland before killing him. Aramazd Andressian Jr. was last seen alive at 1 a.m. April 21 leaving Disneyland with his father, who was found unconscious at Arroyo Seco Park in South Pasadena the next day and was unable to account for the child's whereabouts.

The elder Andressian told investigators he arrived at the park with his son and waited for the golf course to open and admitted ingesting prescription medication that was not prescribed to him, according to Lt. Joe Mendoza of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

The elder Andressian said he did not remember what happened to his child or any details that were useful in locating the boy, according to Mendoza, who said a prescription bottle was found inside his car, which was doused with gasoline inside and out.

The elder Andressian was arrested but released for lack of evidence. He was arrested again on June 23 in Las Vegas, waived extradition and was returned to Los Angeles County on June 30 to face the murder charge.

The boy's body was found that same day near the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area in Santa Barbara County in an area that had been searched before.

According to Mendoza, the killing was "pre-planned" and took place between the time Andressian and his son left Disneyland and the father was discovered at the South Pasadena park.

The boy's mother called authorities when the father failed to return him as planned.

Mendoza alleged the elder Andressian planned the murder to get back at his estranged wife during a "tumultuous" divorce and then tried to commit suicide — before heading to Las Vegas to prepare to flee the country.

The search for the boy spanned several Southern California counties. Authorities focused on the Lake Cachuma area because Andressian Sr. told them he took the boy there the day after the Disneyland trip.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

Photo: Aramazd Andressian Sr. appears in court Tuesday, June 27 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)