The murder trial of the accused killer of Michelle Avan, the Merrill Lynch and Bank of America executive who died at her home in Los Angeles in August 2021, was scheduled to begin Monday but has been delayed until March because a detective key to the investigation is unavailable.
A Bank of America Corp. executive, Anthony Turner, three-years ago was charged just days after Avan’s brutal murder and fatal beating.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office at the time, Avan, a victim of domestic violence, was the former girlfriend of Turner, 56.
Detective Sharon Kim, who “collected, transported, and booked the buccal swab of [Turner] which is the basis for all DNA comparison in this case,” as well as interviewing more than a dozen witnesses, will not be able to testify in the trial because she will be on maternity leave, according to a court filing on Friday.
On August 3, 2021, Turner allegedly entered the 48-year-old victim’s home and killed her before leaving on Aug. 4, according the District Attorney's office at the time. The next day, Avan’s son discovered her body inside the house.
According to a website dedicated to her memory, www.MichelleMovement.org, Avan, along with a son, had a daughter and a grandchild.
Turner pleaded not guilty at the time and was released on $2 million bail after his arrest, according to a report on ThinkAdvisor.com, an industry news website.
A judge denied prosecutors’ request for no bail but imposed stringent conditions on his release, including electronic monitoring, a curfew, a ban on female visitors and a requirement to stay away from airport, railroad and bus terminals, according to the report.
According to his BrokerCheck profile, Turner was registered for only a few months with Merrill Lynch in 2005 and then again in 2016 before starting his employment at BofA Securities in 2019.
Starting at Merrill Lynch in 1998, Avan was a 23-year veteran and managing director with Merrill who moved over to Bank of America as a senior vice president just months before her death.
Her broader role was as the head of global women’s and under-represented talent strategy, global human resources for the bank, where she was responsible for its comprehensive strategy and efforts to attract, hire and retain diverse talent across the company.
She was a recipient of Bank of America’s Global Diversity & Inclusion award as well as a co-chair of the company’s Black Executive Leadership Council business initiative. She also won a 2021 InvestmentNews Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.
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