Hrant Kurkdjian was an Armenian businessman who left Damascus in 1966 for Beirut to partner in a jewelry business with Raphael Boghossian, a well-established jeweler in Lebanon. Together they created the Middle East Diamond Company. The business developed successfully when the civil war broke out in 1975. It created employment for many workers. Hrant was married and the father of 2 children (12 years old and 16 years old).

Khatoun Tekeyan was The Middle East Diamond Company's accountant and secretary. She was in the meantime continuing her studies in accounting, successfully managing to combine her studies with her job. She lived in a family composed by her father, her mother and her 2 brothers.

Maria Mikhael was recently hired as an accountant. She began her work in January 1985, 3 months only before the murder. Her family was composed of her father, her mother, her 2 sisters and her 2 brothers.

Hani Zammar, a young employee of the Middle East Diamond Company, was the father of three young children, aged 1, 4 and 5 years at the time of the crime.

Avedik Boyadjian, father of four children, was employed by the Middle East Diamond Company for 7 years. He was responsible for the maintenance of the offices.