Haik Oganyan was 20 years old when he died on Sunday, April 12, 2009, after he was attacked in Winnetka, in the west San Fernando Valley. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds, and the address recorded for his case was 8845 Corbin Ave. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Devonshire Division case.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Oganyan, of Los Angeles, "was stabbed multiple times after leaving a party in the 8800 block of Corbin Avenue in Winnetka shortly before midnight Saturday, April 11." LAPD Officer Sara Faden told the paper that he and another young man "were leaving a birthday and graduation party when they were confronted by three men with shaved heads who apparently attempted to rob them." Both were stabbed. The other victim survived.
The Daily News reported that the party was a joint graduation and birthday celebration for Cal State Northridge students.
Oganyan had left with a friend and was walking west on Gresham Street toward their car when three men "demanded their wallets and keys." The paper reported that "The victims complied, but the suspects attacked Oganyan and their friend anyway." The friend broke free and ran back to the party. The attackers disappeared, "leaving Oganyan on the grass, bleeding from the neck." LAPD Det. Mike Fesperman told ABC7, "Our victims complied," and said the suspects then "started hitting them with their fists." Police described the attackers as wearing white T-shirts and dark pants, and the killer as a Hispanic man with a shaved head and a goatee who was armed with a knife.
Days later his mother appeared at a police news conference. "He was a good boy," she told ABC7. "He was attending a party. He was on spring break." She pleaded with the public: "Please, if you heard anything, if you have any information, please report it to the police department." She added, "Just want justice, not only for my son but for future victims." Detectives released a composite sketch of one suspect, and in June 2009 police announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible.
Winnetka is a residential neighborhood in the west San Fernando Valley, within the city of Los Angeles and next to Northridge, where Cal State Northridge draws thousands of students who live in the surrounding area. Its streets are lined mostly with single-family homes and apartment buildings. A party full of students that night meant many people were nearby, and some may have seen the three men before or after the attack.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Haik Oganyan could be found in news archives or public records. More than 16 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who attended the party on Corbin Avenue, or who saw three men with shaved heads near Gresham Street in April 2009, may hold information that could help. In 2009 police asked callers to reach Devonshire homicide detectives at 818-832-0609. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 (877-LAPD-24-7), or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
