Maleesa Mooney, a 31-year-old model and real estate agent from Los Angeles, California, was brutally killed in a way that seems more akin to a crime novel. Mooney’s lifeless body was discovered inside the refrigerator of her downtown Los Angeles apartment on September 12, 2023.
The investigation led to the apprehension of Magnus Daniel Humphrey, a 41-year-old Minnesota resident with a multistate criminal history, on February 21, 2024.
Mooney, who had recently moved into the Skye at Bunker Hill apartment complex, was found bound and gagged when the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) conducted a welfare check following unanswered text messages from her parents. LAPD officers reported noticing a pool of blood under the fridge after entering the apartment with a key provided by the building management.
The autopsy report indicated Mooney had sustained numerous blunt force injuries to her face, head, back, and upper left arm and a broken rib, although these injuries were not immediately deemed fatal. The report also suggested a violent struggle had occurred before Mooney’s death. Additionally, a toxicology report revealed the presence of benzoylecgonine, a byproduct of cocaine, and a combination of cocaethylene and ethanol in her system.
In a heartbreaking revelation, Mooney’s sister, Guyanese pop singer Jourdin Pauline, told KTLA that Maleesa was two months pregnant at the time of her death and had always yearned for motherhood.
The arrest of Magnus Daniel Humphrey adds a dark element to this tragic tale. Humphrey apprehended at his Hopkins, Minnesota home on an unrelated warrant, has a criminal record that includes convictions for gun charges, assaults, sexual assaults, and false imprisonment in Minnesota and Illinois. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has charged Humphrey with murder, with an added allegation of murder during torture. Humphrey, who was on probation for federal drug offenses at the time of his arrest, has agreed to be extradited to face charges in Los Angeles.
This shocking case has raised fears about safety in Los Angeles’ affluent neighborhoods. The untimely demise of Mooney, just days after another model, Nichole “Nikki” Coats, was discovered dead in her LA apartment, initially triggered concerns of a serial killer targeting models. However, Coats’ death was later deemed accidental, caused by “cocaine and ethanol toxicity.”
As the court proceedings against Humphrey start, many are left questioning the events leading to such an atrocious act against Mooney, a woman known for her vibrancy and ambition. The LAPD and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office are continuing their probe, seeking justice for Mooney and her unborn child, and offering closure to her grief-stricken family and friends.
