Archanian jurors to decide life or death

By Matt Pordum (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004 | 9:48 a.m.

Jurors needed less than an hour of deliberations Tuesday to decide that 46-year-old Avedis Archanian was guilty of murder in the deaths of a mother and daughter at the jewelry store they owned.

Today they were to begin hearing arguments and testimony about whether Archanian should be executed for using a ring-sizer and a hammer to beat to death Elisa Del Prado, 65, and her mother, Juana Maria Quiroga, 86, during his November 2003 robbery of World Merchants Importers in downtown Las Vegas.

Jurors will hear from family members of the victims as well as Archanian's relatives at the penalty phase today. The jury can sentence him to death, life in prison without the possibility of parole, life in prison with the possibility of parole or a fixed sentence of 50 to 100 years in prison.

One person who will testify is the victims' son and grandson, John Del Prado. He shared hugs and tears with the other members of his family packing the courtroom after the verdict was announced.

"We're pleased that a guilty verdict came back," John Del Prado said. "The evidence was very strong against him and the detectives were positive he was the one who committed the murders."

Asked what he hoped for at sentencing he said, "It's in the jury's hands."

Archanian's family left the courtroom silent, meeting with his attorney, Mace Yampolsky, down the hallway from where the victims' family members continued to cry tears of relief.

Yampolsky said "the jury has spoken" and he would be preparing for the penalty phase at which Archanian's wife, sister and brother are expected to speak.

District Attorney David Roger laid out a strong case to the jury over the five-day case based largely on DNA evidence and a security videotape recovered from the jewelry store's surveillance cameras.

Officers arrested Archanian after recognizing him while they reviewed the footage recovered from the store's security cameras, according to the district attorney.

After arresting Archanian for the crime officers later searched Archanian's home and found a briefcase, black pants and leather gloves all stained with blood. DNA analysis indicated that the blood came from Del Prado and Quiroga, according to Roger.

Blood from the victims was also found on the exterior of Archanian's driver's side door, inside his car and under the driver's seat. Police also found a toolbox containing jewelry stolen from the store.

Yampolsky had unsuccessfully argued that DNA evidence can be fallible and that "images can be changed and the video (from the store) is extremely grainy.'