> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Wrongful death suit filed for Maran murder
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/wrongful-death-suit-filed-for-maran-murder/
- Published: 2002-05-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:17:49.000Z
- Author: Carolyn Sackariason
- Tags: Crime, Westwood, #archive-import

*Wrongful death case filed in Santa Monica*

The parents of slain teenager Deanna Maran on Wednesday filed a wrongful death suit against six people who they claim were responsible for their daughter’s murder.

Santa Monica residents Ilja and Harriet Maran filed the suit against the parents of the girl who allegedly stabbed Maran, her 15-year-old half-sister, and the owners of the home where the incident took place.

The 15-year-old, whose name is being withheld because she is a minor, was allegedly involved in Maran’s Nov. 17 murder. She allegedly kicked Maran while her half-sister, Katrina Sarkissian, allegedly stabbed Maran at an unsupervised party hosted by a 15-year-old boy at his parents’ Westwood home.

According to the Marans’ complaint, Maran got into an altercation with the 15-year-old girl at the party, which was attended by about 40 to 60 people who were mostly minors.

Maran had told the 15-year-old girl to stop breaking planters and other property at the home, according to the complaint. The two girls briefly fought before party goers broke it up.

The 15-year-old then allegedly called her half-sister, Sarkissian, who came to the party and “viciously attacked Deanna, with fists and a weapon, ultimately causing her death,” the complaint states.

Sarkissian and the 15-year-old then left the party and allegedly conspired to get rid of the murder weapon, the complaint states. Police have never found the weapon, or determined what it was. Maran’s autopsy states that she suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest.

Gary Casselman, the attorney representing the minor and her parents, refused to comment.

The lawsuit claims the parents of Sarkissian, who was emotionally unstable, should have known about her “violent, vicious and destructive tendencies” prior to Maran’s murder. The Marans argue that Sarkissian’s parents and her half-sister had an obligation to control her from harming others.

“Deanna’s last words were ‘please let me tell my side of the story,’” the complaint states. “(Ilja and Harriet Maran) bring this action to insure that Deanna’s side of the story is heard and to insure that those who played a role in the death of their child are held accountable.”

The suit also claims the owners of the home where the murder took place put Maran at risk because they negligently entrusted the property to their children without adequate parental or adult supervision. Alcohol was served at the party, according to the complaint.

Sarkissian died while in police custody on Nov. 18 — the day after the murder. The Los Angeles Coroner’s Office ruled in February that she overdosed on anti-depressants.

But her parents, Angelique Sarkissian Bernstein and Sarkis Sarkissian, filed a wrongful death claim earlier this month against the Los Angeles Police Department, alleging that detectives could have prevented their child’s death while she was in custody on suspicion of murder. They claim detectives questioning Sarkissian should have immediately summoned paramedics when she collapsed unconscious while she was being interrogated.

After months of investigation by the LAPD, the district attorney’s office charged the 15-year-old with one count of battery, a misdemeanor. The DA’s office also charged her with a felony — making a terrorist threat unrelated to the case. Apparently the girl threatened someone over the Internet months after the party. She is expected in court again May 31 for a pre-sentence trial.

Attorneys for the owners of the home where the murder occurred couldn’t be reached for comment.

The defendants have 30 days to respond to the complaint.

Tony Glassman, the Marans’ attorney, said his firm will begin interviewing witnesses at the party through depositions. The Marans are seeking a trial at the Santa Monica Courthouse.

“The bottom line is we are doing what is necessary and appropriate to investigate the claims,” he said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 23, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052302.pdf?ref=smdp.com)