(Image Credit: IMAGN)
Los Angeles – Authorities have identified three men arrested in connection with a brutal home invasion and murder in Woodland Hills as Georgian nationals who are in the country illegally, according to law enforcement sources.
Paata Kochyashvili, 38, Zaza Otarashvili, 46, and Besiki Khutsishvili, 52, were each charged with murder and other felonies stemming from the April 26 incident that left 47-year-old Aleksandre Modebadze dead. The suspects, who were taken into custody hours after the killing, are also facing a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery.
LAPD officers responded to a home in the 22200 block of De La Osa Street near Topanga Canyon Boulevard around 1 a.m. Saturday, where they discovered Modebadze with fatal head injuries. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Detectives believe the three men forcibly entered the residence, held Modebadze captive, and fatally assaulted him before fleeing with an unspecified amount of stolen property. The motive behind the attack remains under investigation.
With the assistance of the FBI, authorities located and arrested the suspects later that day. Kochyashvili was apprehended in Van Nuys near Sepulveda and Burbank boulevards, while Otarashvili and Khutsishvili were arrested in Glendale.
All three men are being held without bail following a court appearance on Tuesday, where their arraignment was postponed until May 21. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued detainers for all three, confirming their status as undocumented immigrants.
Kochyashvili faces additional charges including two counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary with a person present, false imprisonment by violence, and dissuading a witness by force or threat. Otarashvili is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of first-degree burglary, while Khutsishvili is charged with two counts of home invasion and one count of burglary.
Authorities have not released details on how the suspects were identified or apprehended so quickly, nor have they commented on any possible connections between the victim and the suspects.
The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD’s Homicide Division.
