Michael Latt’s killer receives 35 years to life in prison for attacking Netflix employee in 2023

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While this will not heal the wounds of loss, Justice may have brought some sense of relief today. The woman who fatally shot Michael Latt in November 2023 will spend many decades behind bars, a judge made clear on Wednesday.

Jameelah Elena Michl was charged with murder by authorities last year and sentenced to 35 years to life in prison. In his ruling, Judge Kerry White of the Los Angeles Superior Court ordered that Michl serve her sentence in a California state prison. The likelihood that 37-year-old Michl will ever leave the prison gates is quite slim.

This sentence is the maximum sentence the judge can impose under California law.

Michl was arrested just days after the popular studio promoter and social activist was shot dead in his Mid-Wilshire home and has been in custody since November 27, 2023, when she was arrested at the scene. She has been held on $3 million bail since then. On June 24, Michl pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.

Latt was “targeted” by Michl because he was “friends with a woman who had been stalking her,” the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said at the time. The woman in question is Thousand and One Director AV Rockwell. Michl had stalked and threatened Rockwell for months and the filmmaker had obtained several restraining orders against her.

In early 2023, Latt posted a photo of himself, his mother and Rockwell online, shortly thereafter Thousand and One won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year.

Latt, founder and CEO of Lead With Love and a communications and marketing consultant for 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 Muchl forced his way into his home that November evening. Latt’s fiancée, Hannah Lovingood, was there at the time of Muchl’s attack.

Latt, 33, soon succumbed to his injuries in a local hospital.

“Today marks the end of a deeply painful chapter for Mr. Latt’s family, friends and our entire community,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement following Wednesday’s sentencing. “A tireless advocate for social justice, Mr. Latt fought for equity, justice and equality in our criminal justice system. Mr. Latt’s ability to empower the community has left an indelible mark. His legacy will continue to inspire us to work toward a more just and inclusive society.”

When news of his tragic death broke, Latt was mourned across Hollywood. He came from a family with deep ties to the industry. Latt’s brother is Franklin Latt, CAA’s head of talent and representative of top names. Latt’s mother is Michelle Satter, who was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at this year’s Governors Awards for her decades of work with the Sundance Institute.

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