Family deny Zaven Ekmekjian's alleged motive behind murder in Lebanon

Blood samples from a man who killed his daughter and shot his wife before committing suicide were collected by forensic experts, a well-informed security source told The Daily Star.

A man of Armenian origin, identified as 60 year-old Zaven Ekmekjian, shot and killed his 9-year-old daughter Julie and shot his 40 year-old wife Hazmik Elmayan in the leg, before killing himself.

"Blood samples were collected from Ekmekjian, his wife and their daughter on Wednesday to uncover specific details about the crime," the source said.

Security sources had reported that emotional and personal reasons were behind the murders that occurred around 9:30 pm on Tuesday. The sources said Ekmekjian had a dispute with his wife, who allegedly cheated on him while he was away working in the US.

However, the published security reports about the murder drew anger from Elmayan's family, who denied their content on Thursday.

One member of the Elmayan family, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Daily Star that Hazmik lived with her husband in the US, and that he mistreated her. "He was unstable, aggressive, violent, and treated her very badly," the family source said. The security report had mentioned that Ekmekjian suffered from psychological problems.

The family source added that Hazmik, who is currently being treated in the Serhal Hospital in Rabieh had "a lot of evidence against her husband."

Security reports said Zaven also lived a double life, married with two children in the US; information the Elmayan family confirmed. Reports added that before committing his crime Ekmekjian told his wife he was going to make her cry "and make her heart burn for her daughter."