Candy Maker Found Slain in Factory : Investigation: Police seek a motive in the shooting of the Armenian immigrant at his business in North Hollywood.

An immigrant candy maker who specialized in Armenian-style chocolates was shot and killed in his North Hollywood factory, Los Angeles police said.

Zaven Baregamian, 42, was found by his wife, Manoush, about 11 p.m. Sunday when she went to the storefront factory in the 12900 block of Saticoy Street to see why he had not returned home, according to the police report.

“He had multiple gunshot wounds to the head,” said Detective Steven Fisk, who is investigating. “There was no evidence of forced entry, no sign of robbery.”

Baregamian, who emigrated about two years ago from what was then Soviet Armenia, was found on the floor of the main room of the small shop, Fisk said. The weapon, which police believe was a handgun, has not been recovered.

“We have no motive at this time, no suspects,” Fisk said.

In addition to his wife, Baregamian is survived by two teen-age daughters.

“He was a very good man, a very hard worker,” said Digran Barsamian, one of several friends of the family who gathered at the Baregamian home in Van Nuys on Monday. Barsamian had known Baregamian for more than 15 years.

“We knew each other in Yerevan, the capital” said Barsamian, who works as an accountant in Anaheim. “He worked as an engineer for a big candy factory there, but he always wanted to come to this country because he would have more options.

“He came and started with nothing but his empty hands.”

Baregamian borrowed money from relatives and friends to start the candy factory.

“He made many of the machines himself,” said his cousin, Yegiya Sanosyan.

Baregamian made a bite-sized candy known as “bird milk” in Armenia. It has a thin chocolate coating over a marshmallow-like center.

“It is very popular in Armenia and he was the only one to make it here,” Sanosyan said.

Baregamian distributed the chocolates himself--under the names Chocolate Delight, For You and Aristocrate--to Armenian grocery stores in Los Angeles.

“He had big plans for more business,” Barsamian said. “He wanted to distribute to other cities, everywhere there were Armenians in this country.”

None of the gathered friends or relatives could think of any reason that Baregamian would have been the target of a killing.

“He was a good businessman, but I don’t think he had any enemies,” Barsamian said.