Michael Lat killer gets 35 years or life for 2023 attack

GT

It won’t do much to heal the wounds of loss, but Lady Justice may have brought some relief today. The judge made it clear Wednesday that the woman who fatally shot Michael Lat in November 2023 will remain behind bars for decades and decades.

Late last year, Jamila Elena Michelle was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for murder. In his ruling, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kerry White ordered Michelle to serve her sentence in a California prison. Michelle, 37, is unlikely to walk out of prison.

The penalty is the maximum available to a judge under California law.

Michelle was arrested just days after the beloved studio marketer and social justice advocate was shot and killed at his home in Central Wilshire, and has been in custody since November 27, 2023, when she was arrested at the scene of the crime. Michelle has been held on $3 million bail ever since, and she pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary on June 24.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office stated at the time that Lat was “targeted” by Michelle “because he is a friend of a woman she was stalking.” The woman in question is One thousand and one Director A.V. Rockwell. Michelle has been stalking and threatening Rockwell for months, and the director has obtained several restraining orders against her.

Earlier in 2023, Lat posted a photo of himself, his mother, and Rockwell online shortly after. One thousand and one It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance that year.

Lat, founder and CEO of Lead With Love and a communications and marketing consultant for companies including Netflix, Ava DuVernay’s Array, Ryan Coogler, Warner Bros Pictures, Common and Annapurna Pictures, was shot at close range with a semi-automatic pistol when Michelle broke into his home that November evening. Lat’s fiancée, Hannah Lovegood, was there at the time of Michelle’s attack.

Lat, 33, died of his injuries shortly after the accident at a local hospital.

“Today brings to a close a deeply painful chapter for Mr. Lat’s family, friends, and our entire community,” District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement after the sentencing on Wednesday. “As a tireless advocate for social justice, Mr. Lat stood up for equality, fairness, and equity in our criminal justice system. Mr. Lat’s ability to uplift society has left an indelible mark. His legacy will continue to inspire us to strive for a more just and inclusive society.”

Lat came from a family with deep ties to the industry; his brother, Franklin Lat, was CAA’s head of talent and a big-name representative. His mother, Michelle Sater, was honored with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this year’s Governors Awards for her decades of work at the Sundance Institute.

Our prayers and thoughts are with Michael’s family today.