Authorities in California have arrested a 21-year-old man and charged him with murder of a beloved Bass Lake real estate agent.
Robert “Bob” Boyajian, 75, was reported missing by co-workers on July 14 when he missed an appointment, Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said.
Tyson mentioned that deputies discovered Boyajian’s car and his Apple Watch, which he was known to wear constantly, at his residence. However, his phone, wallet, and bed coverings were not found. Although there were no obvious signs of foul play, the scenario appeared suspicious.
As they attempted to gain access to the property’s security footage, they engaged with Audrik Matevosian, who had previously worked on IT tasks for Boyajian. Matevosian provided them with details needed to access the cameras, yet deputies remained unable to view any recordings. Subsequently, Matevosian guided them on locating the system’s DVR.
“However, the DVR was missing, which escalated our suspicions,” Pogue said.
Next, deputies examined Boyajian’s banking transactions and identified a $1,000 cash withdrawal and two unsuccessful attempts made on the night of July 13. ATM footage revealed Matevosian performing both the successful and attempted withdrawals. On July 16, authorities carried out a search warrant at the house Matevosian shared with his parents and discovered two firearms, one of which had been reported as stolen in March and another that belonged to Boyajian.
Matevosian agreed to speak with detectives and eventually confessed to killing Boyajian, after initially claiming he committed suicide and then saying that Boyajian had enlisted his aid in committing suicide.
“Ultimately, he confessed to killing Mr. Boyajian around midnight on Saturday and then driving his body to the Mojave desert, where he buried him in a cave,” Pogue said.
He buried the victim wrapped in the bedding from Boyajian’s bed and in a body bag he had bought from Amazon a week before the murder, Pogue said.
Pogue explained that the killer rented a vehicle on July 12, called Boyajian to make sure he was home, then went over to spend the night — something witnesses said was not unusual as Boyajian treated Matevosian and his brother as if they were his grandchildren.
At around midnight, after Boyajian went to sleep, Matevosian killed him.
According to Pogue, Matevosian claimed that Boyajian had “spoken disparagingly about his family” and that he hoped for financial gain by killing him.
Matevosian told investigators where to find Boyajian’s body, his cell phone, and his wallet.
“Our detectives worked tirelessly to bring justice for Mr. Boyajian and his loved ones,” said Pogue. “This arrest represents our commitment to protecting this community — no matter how far the investigation must go.”
The killer is being held without bond and has a July 28 court date, Law&Crime reported.
