TEHRAN An Iranian immigrant to the United States suffering from poverty killed his wife and six children in an early-morning arson fire. The family of Jorjik Avanesian, 43, lived in poverty in a one-bedroom apartment and he set the apartment on fire in 1996 under the delusion that his wife and eldest daughters were taking illicit drugs. DPA quoted the Los Angeles Times as saying on Thursday that the man would face the death penalty.

He confessed his crime to police and journalists minutes after leaving the smoke filled apartment where his family died of asphyxiation, the report said. The jurors took only one hour to decide on the verdict and will convene next week to decide whether to give Avanesian the death penalty, it added.