Michelle Avan's killer sentenced to life in prison

Michelle Avan's killer sentenced to life in prison
Avan's daughter, Nyah, called her mother a woman of poise, wisdom and grace, according to a report.
OCT 23, 2025

The convicted killer of Michelle Avan, the Merrill Lynch and Bank of America executive who died at her home in Los Angeles in August 2021, was sentenced earlier this month to life imprisonment, according to local news reports

Anthony Dewayne Turner, 57, and also a former banking executive, was found guilty in August in Los Angeles County Court of first degree murder, burglary, and forcible rape stemming from the killing four years ago of Avan, a senior vice president for Bank of America, according to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News from October 10.

She had two children and one grandchild.

Avan’s daughter, Nyah, called her mother a woman of poise, wisdom and grace, according to the report, saying that she had been a mentor to many women and that “her spirit lives on through all of us.”

On August 3, 2021, Turner 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.

Turner pleaded not guilty at the time and was released on $2 million bail after his arrest.

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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