Yahoo News Film extra admits shooting Michael Latt, gets 35 years to life in prison
A film extra who admitted to fatally shooting Michael Latt, an entertainment marketing consultant and social justice advocate, was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years to life in prison.
Jameelah Michl gunned down Latt inside his Los Angeles home on Nov. 27.
Michl, 36, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree burglary during a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court last month. She also admitted to using a firearm during the attack, court records show.
Prosecutors said Michl did not know Latt but had targeted him for being friends with a woman she was stalking. Michl was armed with a semiautomatic handgun when she knocked on the door of Latt's home in the 900 block of Alandele Avenue, forced herself inside and shot him.
Latt, 33, was taken to a hospital, where he died.
"Today brings a measure of closure to a deeply painful chapter for Mr. Latt’s family, friends and our entire community," Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said. "As a tireless advocate for social justice, Mr. Latt championed equality, justice and equity in our criminal legal system. Mr. Latt’s ability to uplift the community left an indelible mark. His legacy will continue to inspire us to strive for a more just and inclusive society."
Read more: Michael Latt, who was fatally shot, leaves a legacy of uplifting marginalized artists
Latt was the chief executive of Lead With Love, an entertainment marketing consulting firm he founded in 2019 with an emphasis on elevating Black creatives and other underrepresented voices in Hollywood.
Authorities say Latt's killing was the culmination of a series of threats made by Michl, who had been stalking film director A.V. Rockwell. Michl had worked as an extra on Rockwell's film “A Thousand and One" and had become obsessed with the director, according to court records.
At first, the attempts at interaction seemed innocent. She sent Rockwell a gift box when the film wrapped production in 2021. When the movie won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival a year later, Michl sent an email to a producer on the film saying she thought highly of Rockwell and the film.
Read more: Woman charged in Michael Latt killing had stalked, threatened a film director, records show
But Michl's admiration for the director took a dark turn in emails sent over the next several months. When Rockwell didn't respond, Michl emailed her saying she would kill herself and told Rockwell she owned a gun.
The emails led Rockwell to request a restraining order against Michl in June 2023. Rockwell wrote in court documents that "panic attacks caused by the anxiety and fear for my safety has meant that I have been unable to return to work. Her messages have disrupted my professional relationships.”
Rockwell and Latt attended Sundance in January 2023 and took photos together. Latt posted one on Instagram with the caption, “Congratulations to @AVRockwell on your incredible feature film directorial debut, A Thousand and One.”
Staff writers Noah Goldberg and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
