Family sues a Hollywood Hills cemetery for placing mother's headstone over wrong grave
A grieving family is suing a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills after learning that the headstone honoring their late mother had been placed over the wrong burial plot for four years.
The Demirchyan family said they discovered the mistake in April during the funeral of their father, Avetis Demirchyan, who was being laid to rest beside his wife, Hasmik, at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Their son, Chris Demirchyan, said a mortician pulled him aside during the service to inform him that Hasmik's headstone did not match her actual burial site. The memorial tablet had been placed in 'space 1,' while Hasmik was buried in 'space 2,' just one plot to the right.
'I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot,' Chris Demirchyan told KTLA's Rachel Menitoff. 'All those times we put down flowers, we prayed, we came for holidays, we even put up a decorated Christmas tree – it was the wrong space.'
The cemetery has since corrected the error by moving the headstone to the correct location. However, the Demirchyan family is filing a lawsuit, claiming emotional distress from grieving at the wrong site for years.
'While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn't suffered another loss,' said Rosie Zilifyan, the family's attorney.
The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages, but said their primary motivation is to prevent similar mistakes from happening to other families.
'They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we're still grieving,' said George Eskichyan, Hasmik's grandson. 'This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.'
KTLA has reached out to Forest Lawn Cemetery for comment. The cemetery has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
39 minutes ago
- News24
City of Joburg's big document mess: How building plans and documents are ‘stored' in Johannesburg
Supplied Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Show Comments ()
Associated Press
43 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to murder in Idaho student stabbings to avoid death penalty
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty, an attorney for one victim's family said. Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the family of Kaylee Goncalves, confirmed Monday that prosecutors informed the families of the deal by email and letter earlier in the day, and that his clients were upset about it. 'We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho,' Goncalves' family wrote in a Facebook post. 'They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected.' A change of plea hearing was set for Wednesday, but the family has asked prosecutors to delay it to give them more time to travel to Boise, Gray said. Kohberger's trial was set for August in Boise, where it was moved following pretrial publicity in rural northern Idaho. Kohberger, 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, early on Nov. 13, 2022. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. At the time, Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) west of the University of Idaho. He was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, weeks later. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene. No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the attacker spared two roommates who were in the home. Authorities have said cellphone data and surveillance video shows that Kohberger visited the victims' neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings. The murders shocked the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn't had a homicide in about five years, and prompted a massive hunt for the perpetrator. That included an elaborate effort to track down a white sedan that was seen on surveillance cameras repeatedly driving by the rental home, to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect through the use of genetic genealogy and to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings through cellphone data. In a court filing, Kohberger's lawyers said he was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed. In the letter to families, obtained by ABC News, prosecutors said Kohberger's lawyers approached them seeking to reach a plea deal. The defense team had previously made unsuccessful efforts to have the death penalty stricken as a possible punishment, including arguing that Kohberger's autism diagnosis made him less culpable. The prosecutors said they met with available family members last week before deciding to make Kohberger an offer. 'This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,' the letter said. 'This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals. Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.' In a Facebook post, the Goncalves family wrote that Kaylee's 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, had been unable to attend the meeting with prosecutors. But she shared her concerns in a written statement. 'Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,' Aubrie Goncalves wrote. 'Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims' pasts.' In Idaho, judges may reject plea agreements, though such moves are rare. If a judge rejects a plea agreement, the defendant is allowed to withdraw the guilty plea. Earlier Monday, a Pennsylvania judge had ordered that three people whose testimony was requested by defense attorneys would have to travel to Idaho to appear at Kohberger's trial. The defense subpoenas were granted regarding a boxing trainer who knew Kohberger as a teenager, a childhood acquaintance of Kohberger's and a third man whose significance was not explained. A gag order has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial. ___ Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press reporter Mark Scolforo contributed from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
TN Lottery Powerball, Cash4Life winning numbers for June 30, 2025
The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here's a look at June 30, 2025, results for each game: 13-28-44-52-55, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4 Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here. 06-13-15-31-55, Cash Ball: 04 Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here. 05-08-18-32-46, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 03 Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here. Morning: 5-4-0, Wild: 2 Midday: 1-1-7, Wild: 2 Evening: 4-5-9, Wild: 2 Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here. Morning: 2-0-2-9, Wild: 0 Midday: 5-1-1-6, Wild: 3 Evening: 9-4-4-3, Wild: 4 Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here. 04-15-31-35-38 Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here. 07-18-26-28-29, Bonus: 02 Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here. 04-09-41-42-61, Powerball: 26 Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here. Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you. To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations: Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount. Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999. Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999. Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999. Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday. Cash4Life: 9:15 p.m. CT daily. Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT. Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily. Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN Lottery Powerball, Cash4Life winning numbers for June 30, 2025
