Mother who killed two children and husband in murder-suicide named
A woman has been identified after allegedly killing her six-day-old daughter, two-year-old son and husband before shooting herself
Marine Basmajian (right), 29, shot and killed her husband, Khajag Basmajian (middle), 31, and their two young kids, Alec (left) and Ella(Image: GoFundMe)
A mum who murdered her husband and two young children before taking her own life has been named.
Marine Basmajian, 29, fatally shot her spouse Khajag Basmajian, 31, along with their two-year-old son and six-day-old daughter, Alec and Ella, before turning the gun on herself.
The tragedy unfolded at approximately 8pm local time on Wednesday, May 27, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Police raced to the family’s £619,010 property in North Hills following reports of gunfire. The motive behind the horrific incident remains unknown.
A local resident spoke of the community’s heartbreak over the shocking events.
“It’s so depressing, it’s so devastating for everyone.” Karen Banuelos told the Los Angeles Times. “To get possessed to do that? It’s just, there’s no words,” she continued.
A GoFundMe page established in the aftermath has paid tribute to Marine as a devoted mum.
The fundraising appeal stated: “Marine was a caring mother and wife who found comfort in organisation and enjoyed gatherings among her loved ones.”
Her spouse Khajaj, who worked as a Staff Cloud Platform Engineer at financial operations software firm BlackLine, was described as a “devoted husband, loving father, cherished son, brother, and friend.”
The memorial message read: “To know him is to love him. With a beaming smile on his face and a positive outlook on life, he was truly a friend you could count on.”
The tribute went on to reveal that two-year-old Alec had been thrilled about the arrival of his baby sister. It reads: “Alec brought joy and laughter wherever he went. With his bright smile and cheerful eyes taking after his father, he loved his toy vehicles and getting a taste for life one bite at a time (ice cream was his favorite).
“Alec couldn’t wait to meet his baby sister Ella who only lived to see the world Earth side for 6 days,” the fundraiser revealed.
Banuelos remembered hearing a ‘commotion’ but didn’t detect gunshots at that moment.
She mentioned spotting police officers arriving at the family’s residence from her window, and witnessed a relative rushing from the house in floods of tears.
She discovered what had occurred after the children’s grandfather informed one of her neighbours.
Another neighbour, who preferred to stay unnamed, stated they had never witnessed the family arguing.
They described seeing Khajag disposing of rubbish at approximately 7pm, roughly an hour before gunshots were heard, while she was walking her dog.
Local resident Paula Smith said she was completely unaware of what was unfolding at the time.
“We live a few blocks away and we heard all the helicopters last night. We didn’t know what was going on,” she told the local news outlet through tears.
“But to wake up this morning and to hear about this and these kids, it’s really heartbreaking. So go home and love the people you love. If someone is hurting, please reach out. Don’t be ashamed.”
