Karen Avanesov was 17 years old when he died on Wednesday, July 5, 2000, in Harvard Heights, in central Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds in front of 3131 W. Pico Blvd. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department Wilshire Division case.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report described him as "a 17-year-old white male" who "died Wednesday, July 5, after being stabbed in Harvard Heights." He was a high school student. According to a Los Angeles Times report published nearly two years later, he was "a senior at Fernando Bravo Medical Magnet High in Boyle Heights," a public magnet school near the County-USC medical center campus that prepares students for careers in medicine and science.
That report, published on April 11, 2002, described what police knew about the attack. He "was walking near Pico Boulevard and Western Avenue about 11 p.m.
on July 5, 2000, when two youths who appeared to be gang members attacked him, Police Lt. Stan Ludwig said." The Times said he had been "stabbed and beaten to death" on what it called "a Mid-City street."
By then, the investigation had stalled. "Having exhausted leads, detectives and relatives of [the] teen" announced a $25,000 reward "for information leading to the killers," the Times reported. Ludwig made clear that detectives believed people had seen the attack. "We know that this crime was witnessed by many persons," he said. "We want to assure them that we need their assistance and that we'll do everything possible to keep their identity confidential." The Times listed a number for detectives, (213) 473-0444. That his relatives stood with detectives to announce the reward shows a family still pressing for answers two years after his death.
Beyond those reports, little about Karen Avanesov's life has been made public. No obituary or memorial page for him could be found.
Harvard Heights is a small historic neighborhood in central Los Angeles, just south and west of Koreatown, known for its early 20th-century Craftsman and Victorian houses, many of which are protected as part of a historic preservation zone. Pico Boulevard, one of the city's long east-west streets, runs along its southern side, and the corner of Pico and Western Avenue is a busy commercial crossroads lined with shops, restaurants and apartment buildings. The area is patrolled by the LAPD's Wilshire Division.
Homicides in Los Angeles rose sharply in the early 2000s, climbing past 600 in 2002, and detectives carried heavy caseloads. Many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Karen Avanesov could be found in news archives or public records. More than 25 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Police said many people saw the attack near Pico Boulevard and Western Avenue at about 11 p.m. on July 5, 2000, and any of them, or anyone who later heard who was responsible, may hold information that could help detectives. 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).
