Watch CBS News

South Pasadena Honors Memory Of Murdered 5-Year-Old With Memorial Bench

SOUTH PASADENA (CBSLA) -- The memory of 5-year-old Aramazd "Piqui" Andressian Jr., who was killed by his father last year, was honored Monday with the unveiling of a memorial bench at Garfield Park, where the boy liked to play.

The bench was placed in an area across from a children's playground along a path to the Children's Memorial and Healing Garden at the north section of the park in the 1000 block of Park Avenue.

"Yesterday was a very dark difficult day, as it marked the nine-month anniversary of my son's death," the South Pasadena boy's mother, Ana Estevez, said at a dedication ceremony this morning attended by family, friends and city officials.

"Today, however, is a gorgeous day," Estevez said, "and here we are celebrating Piqui's life by dedicating this beautiful bench in his memory at a park that he enjoyed playing at."

The boy was last seen alive on April 21 leaving Disneyland with his father, Aramazd Andressian Sr., during the first week of a joint custody arrangement to which the parents had agreed amid a contentious divorce.

The boy's body was found roughly two months later in Santa Barbara County, and Andressian eventually confessed to killing his son.

He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in late August.

The black bench in honor of Piqui was placed along a concrete path with an embedded marker reading, "In loving memory of Piqui You are my sunshine my only sunshine."

(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.