LAPD Probes Unthinkable Family Bloodbath

A handgun on a table with evidence markers and crime scene tape in the background

A California mother allegedly shot and killed her husband and two young children — including a six-day-old baby girl — before taking her own life in a quiet San Fernando Valley neighborhood, leaving a community and a grieving extended family searching for answers.

Story Highlights

Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives are investigating the North Hills deaths as a murder-suicide, with evidence pointing to 30-year-old Marine Basmajian as the shooter.
Victims include her husband Khajag Basmajian, 31, their 2-year-old son Alec, and their 6-day-old daughter Ella.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner classified the husband’s and children’s deaths as homicides and the mother’s death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Family members have come forward with details about the final hours before the shooting, deepening the tragedy surrounding this case.

A Family Wiped Out in a Single Evening

Los Angeles police responded to the North Hills home at approximately 7:50 p.m. and discovered four family members dead inside. ^[1] Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) homicide division quickly determined no outside suspect was being sought, and the evidence gathered at the scene pointed toward a murder-suicide carried out within the household. The case shook a quiet residential neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, where neighbors described the family as ordinary and unremarkable.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner officially identified the victims as Marine Basmajian, 30, her husband Khajag Basmajian, 31, their 2-year-old son Alec, and their infant daughter Ella, who was only six days old at the time of her death. ^[4] The medical examiner classified the deaths of the husband and two children as homicides and Marine Basmajian’s death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, consistent with the LAPD’s murder-suicide framing. ^[2] The loss of a newborn just days into her life has made this case particularly devastating for those following it.

Mother Identified as the Suspected Shooter

According to the LAPD, evidence gathered at the scene suggests Marine Basmajian shot her husband and two children before turning the gun on herself. ^[3] Investigators noted the scene was contained entirely within the household, with no indication of a third-party intruder or outside involvement. Law enforcement sources told reporters that detectives believed the mother was responsible for the shootings, though the full forensic investigation remained ongoing at the time identities were publicly released. ^[1]

The Oxygen Network reported that Basmajian is accused of killing her husband and children in what police described as a murder-suicide. ^[7] Family members of the victims have spoken publicly, revealing details about the final hours before the shooting that painted a picture of a household under significant stress. Those accounts have added painful context to a case that was already difficult to comprehend, particularly given the presence of a newborn who had been alive for less than a week.

Community and Family Left Searching for Answers

Neighbors in the North Hills area expressed shock and grief following the discovery, describing the block as a peaceful community where violent incidents are rare. ^[9] The deaths of two small children, one barely out of the hospital, have struck a particularly raw nerve. Local news coverage drew hundreds of thousands of views online as the public struggled to make sense of what happened inside that home. ^[5]

Cases like this one are a sobering reminder of how quickly a family can be destroyed and how little warning signs may be visible to the outside world. The LAPD has not publicly disclosed a confirmed motive, and the full investigative file has not been released. What is clear from the medical examiner’s findings and law enforcement statements is that a father, a toddler, and a six-day-old girl lost their lives inside what should have been a safe home. ^[2] The investigation remains active, and authorities have not indicated when a final determination will be formally announced.