Woman charged in Hollywood exec’s slaying accused of stalking director

A Hollywood marketing agent who was allegedly shot to death by a homeless woman was targeted for being friends with another woman that she had been stalking, prosecutors revealed on Thursday.

Michael Latt, 33, was gunned down inside his home on Alandale Avenue in Los Angeles‘ Mid-Wilshire neighborhood on Monday night.

Officers arrested Jameelah Michl, 36, at the scene. She faces one count of murder and one count of first-degree residential burglary with a person present, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced.

“She allegedly knocked on the door, forcing herself into the residence once it was opened by one of the occupants,” the D.A.’s Office said in a news release. “Michl, who was allegedly armed with a semi-automatic handgun, shot and killed the victim inside of the home.”

Latt was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

Prosecutors have not released information about the woman Michl was allegedly stalking or her connection to Latt.

The Los Angeles Times obtained court records that show Michl was accused of stalking and threatening film director, A.V. Rockwell.

Michl had worked on Rockwell’s “A Thousand and One,” which won the grand jury prize at January’s Sundance Film Festival. After shooting on the film wrapped in 2021, Michl began sending gifts and notes to Rockwell that became increasingly distressing, prompting Rockwell to seek a restraining order, the Times reports.

Rockwell and Latt both attended Sundance and were photographed together.

Latt was born into an entertainment family, worked as a marketing agent for films and was an organizer of social justice campaigns. Some friends described him as a “social justice warrior.”

He also founded Lead with Love, a marketing firm that worked with celebrities, artists and brands to elevate Black voices and other underrepresented groups in Hollywood.

“As we mourn the loss of this bright soul, let us come together as a community to denounce violence and recommit ourselves to the principles of justice, equality, and compassion,” Gascón said in a statement. “The pursuit of equity in the criminal legal system remains a steadfast goal, and we will continue our efforts to create a society where every individual is treated with dignity and fairness.”

Prosecutors are asking that Michl be held on $3 million bail.

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