Update: Man Arrested for the Murder of 31-year-old Los Angeles Model Found in Refrigerator

Maleesa Mooney. Photo/Instagram

A suspect was arrested in the brutal murder of 31-year-old Los Angeles model and realtor Maleesa Mooney. According to KTLA, Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 41, who is on probation for federal narcotics offenses, was arrested at his home in Minnesota on an unrelated federal warrant, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The September 2023 murder of Maleesa startled her community. The Los Angeles authorities found the model dead in the refrigerator of her downtown LA apartment. The medical examiner reported that she was gagged and tortured and suffered from blunt force trauma, as well as many injuries and broken bones. Humphrey was charged on Dec. 6 with murder and torture. The murder charge includes a special allegation of murder during the commission of torture. It was not immediately clear when Humphrey would be brought to Los Angeles and appear in court, per Los Angeles Daily News.

According to ABC 7, Mooney was found in her apartment on Sept. 12 after her family hadn't heard from her and asked the LAPD to conduct a welfare check. Officers used a key from the building manager to enter her unit and found her body inside the refrigerator, according to a Los Angeles County coroner's report released in October.

A second Los Angeles model, Nichole Coats, was found dead within days of Mooney's death. The authorities said there was no foul play; however, the Coats family believes Nichole's death was suspicious due to physical markings she had when her father found her deceased at her apartment. 

Nichole Coats

This story will be updated. 

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