LA executive was fatally shot by woman stalking his friend, lawyers say

Friend was not at home when woman allegedly forced herself inside home of Michael Latt, 33, and fired semi-automatic handgun

A high-profile entertainment marketing consultant was targeted by a woman who had been stalking one of his friends before she fatally shot him after forcing her way inside his Los Angeles home, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Michael Latt, 33, had worked on projects with film-makers including Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay, as well as the rap artist Common. He was pronounced dead on Monday in the hospital.

Prosecutors allege that Jameelah Elena Michl, 36, knocked on his home’s door on Monday and forced herself inside once it was open. She had sought out Latt’s home “after she targeted him for being friends with a woman she had been stalking”, the Los Angeles county district attorney’s office said in a news release on Thursday. She allegedly fired at him with a semi-automatic handgun.

Authorities have not named the woman Michl was seeking but said she was not inside Latt’s home when he was shot.

Michl’s arraignment on murder and burglary charges has been continued to 15 December, so she has not yet entered a plea. Prosecutors are seeking $3m bail. If convicted, she could face a sentence of life in prison. Michl will be represented by a public defender, though one has not yet been assigned to her case, the public defender’s office said.

Detectives seized Michl’s vehicle, which she had been living in, as evidence. She stayed at the scene and was taken into custody. Officials have not released details about the alleged stalking.

Latt’s marketing firm, Lead with Love, focused on social impact, and he was inspired to start the business after working on Ryan Coogler’s film Fruitvale Station, about the 2009 fatal police shooting of Oscar Grant in Oakland, California, starring Michael B Jordan.

Latt’s mother, Michelle Satter, is one of the founding directors of the Sundance Institute’s artists programs, where she has helped film-makers such as Coogler and Quentin Tarantino early in their careers. Latt’s father, David Latt, is a film producer. His brother is an agent.

Latt had also worked at the Sundance Institute, which issued a statement on behalf of his family.

“He dedicated his career to serving others, employing storytelling, art, and various mediums to create enduring change and galvanizing communities with hope, love, and inspiration,” the statement said. “Michael will never be forgotten and his legacy and work will carry on through his family, his friends, and his colleagues.”

Latt worked with Common on the Oscar campaign for the song Letter to the Free, and with film-maker Ava DuVernay. Together, they launched a prison concert tour and helped developed Common’s non-profit Imagine Justice.

“The moment I realized that I could use my skill set for social good, I decided to dedicate the rest of my career to helping others, empowering storytellers of color, and fighting injustice wherever it stands,” Latt told Forbes in 2019. “Through stories and art, we can showcase incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women’s humanity, shine a light on injustices in the system and shift the narrative about how we talk about the issues.”

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