A Salt Lake City man has been convicted of shooting and killing a teenager after a bottle of liquor was stolen during a party at his house more than two years ago.
Levon Garo Meguerditchian, 38, was found guilty of murder by a 3rd District Court jury last week in the 2021 killing of 18-year-old Abdourazak Mouhoumed. Prosecutors said he shot at Mouhoumed as the teen drove away from the party at Meguerditchian’s home, fatally striking Mouhoumed in the head.
According to charging documents, Meguerditchian held the party at his home near 2100 South and 700 East on Aug. 28, 2021. Shortly before 4 a.m., someone in a group of people stole a bottle of liquor and ran out of the house. At the same time, Mouhoumed ran out and got into his car.
As Mouhoumed drove away, Meguerditchian fired a gun at him. The fatal gunshot caused Mouhoumed to crash his car into a nearby home.
According to prosecutors, Meguerditchian then forced several partygoers into his home’s laundry room and threatened them with violence as officers responded to a 911 call, looking for evidence of the shooting. Police did not initially find anything, and most hostages were let go about 20 minutes later.
At about 6:30 a.m., police received another 911 call from a witness, who said he had gone to Meguerditchian’s home to get his friend — a 17-year-old girl — and that Meguerditchian had come outside with a gun in his waistband and punched him in the face, charging documents state.
The witness told police he believed his friend was still being held captive in Meguerditchian’s house. When officers returned, they heard screaming and soon found the girl in the garage. She had “multiple injuries to her face,” according to a probable cause statement. Prosecutors argued that Meguerditchian believed she had invited the people who stole the liquor bottle to the party.
The jury on Friday also found Meguerditchian guilty of five counts of aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10.
“The amount of violence that we saw over a bottle of liquor was astounding,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement after the verdict. “Sugar House is a safer community with Mr. Meguerditchian behind bars.”
Meguerditchian’s girlfriend, Mary Akopyan, 37 — who allegedly helped him detain victims at the house — is still facing charges, including multiple counts of aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and assault, court records indicate.
