Man Pleads No Contest in Friend’s Death
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GLENDALE — A man charged with gunning down his friend during a scuffle near Hoover High School pleaded no contest Monday to involuntary manslaughter.
Artiom Badalyan, 18, could face up to 14 years in state prison for killing 15-year-old Avetis Avo Demirchyan last year. His attorney said he will ask for probation.
Badalyan entered his plea during a pretrial hearing in Pasadena Superior Court. He was expected to be released from Eastlake Juvenile Detention Facility on Monday night on $50,000 bail.
Police said an argument between two boys at lunch turned into an after-school fistfight that led to the shooting. Badalyan, who was not a Hoover student but attended Allan Daily continuation high school in Glendale, surrendered to police Oct. 9, 1998, almost a month after the shooting.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Trish Wilkinson said she will seek at least a one-year sentence.
Badalyan, 17 at the time of the shooting, faced second-degree murder charges and was charged as an adult after his surrender. Glendale Police Sgt. Rick Young said investigators believe Badalyan did not mean to kill his friend.
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