The State - News from Sept. 22, 1987

Jurors in San Mateo County Superior Court heard opening arguments in the trial of former Billionaire Boys Club members Reza Eslaminia and Ben Dosti, both 26, on charges of murder, kidnaping and conspiracy arising from the 1984 death of Eslaminia’s father, Hedayat Eslaminia, 56, a formerIranian parliament member and close associate of the late Shah of Iran. The victim suffocated in a steamer trunk while being taken to Beverly Hills aboard a rental truck by his abductors. Prosecutors in Redwood City said this was part of a bizarre plot to seize the elder Eslaminia’s $30-million fortune. The defense, however, called the state’s case a story made up by the prosecution’s star witness--former club member Dean Karny, 27, who gained immunity for his testimony.