The trial for a man accused of murdering a College of the Canyons student in a car-to-car shooting saw a rare filing this week, according to court records.
Grigor Hovsepyan, a 25-year-old Mission Hills man, is accused of killing Gavin Unzueta, who was shot May 1, 2024, after egging Hovsepyan’s car, according to emotional testimony from Nick Sanchez, one of Unzueta’s best friends and an alleged victim.
The latest filing in the case involves testimony from Hovsepyan’s girlfriend, Italia Sosa, or rather a lack thereof: Sosa, who’s been in custody throughout the trial for separate, unrelated charges, has thrice refused to take the oath and testify against her boyfriend.
Sosa’s consistent refusals prompted Judge Hilleri Merritt to issue strong admonishments, warnings and then threats of contempt proceedings against Sosa, according to the minute orders for Department J in the San Fernando Courthouse.
On Monday, it prompted Hovsepyan’s attorney, George Mgdesyan, to ask the judge to keep Sosa’s refusal to testify from the jury, on the grounds that it could be prejudicial to their deliberations. The outcome of the request was not available as of this story’s publication.
“Defendant Grigor Hovsepyan requests that the court exclude the prosecution’s proposed presentation of Italia Sosa before the jury solely to demonstrate her refusal to testify: Sosa has repeatedly stated outside the jury’s presence that she will not testify and will not take the oath,” according to Mgdesyan’s motion. “The people have not identified what specific negative inference they seek, the facts supporting that inference or how it would serve to establish an element of the charged offenses or resolve another disputed issue. Without that connection, the proposed appearance invites speculation rather than supplies relevant evidence.”
The motion could be mooted. A person familiar with the situation, speaking on background Wednesday, said Sosa could still testify this week, as the trial is still under way. The topic has been a subject of repeated discussions in the judge’s chamber, outside of the jury’s presence, according to the court’s minute order.
During Hovsepyan’s preliminary hearing, a police officer testified that Sosa was identified as an occupant of the car Hovsepyan was in at the time he allegedly committed the shooting.
When Hovsepyan was first taken into custody and handed the “Wanted” flier the Los Angeles Police Department made to help find him, the officer described Hovsepyan’s reaction as “disbelief,” adding that he said, “‘How did you find all of this (expletive)?’” according to the officer’s testimony.
A separate officer, working undercover, reported to police that while Hovsepyan was in custody following his arrest, he admitted to the shooting and told the officer about how Sosa became aroused during the violence.
Sosa has refused to take the oath since the start of the trial, which Merritt informed her is not a legal right, according to the minute order for Department J. She remains in custody and her attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Sosa, who only appeared in court after an extraction order was issued by the judge, is also facing felony charges for first-degree burglary, as well as special allegations that a victim was home, and that Sosa had a prior felony conviction at the time of her June 25 arrest.
