By Andrew Dalton & Stefanie Dazio
LOS ANGELES (AP) --A woman who pleaded guilty to killing entertainment consultant and social justice advocate Michael Latt was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison on Wednesday.
Jameelah Elena Michl had been stalking and threatening film director A.V. Rockwell and targeted Latt because he was Rockwell's friend, prosecutors and police said. Michl pleaded guilty last month to charges of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary in connection with the November attack.
The public defender's office, which represented Michl, confirmed her sentence. The district attorney's office did not immediately have a comment following Wednesday's hearing.
Latt was a consultant whose company focused on social impact in film and entertainment. He worked with "Selma" director Ava DuVernay and "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler, among many others, and his death was mourned throughout Hollywood.
Prosecutors alleged that Michl knocked on the door of Latt's Los Angeles home on Nov. 27, 2023, forced her way in and fatally shot him with a semi-automatic handgun. He was declared dead at a hospital.
Weeks later Latt's mother, Michelle Satter, received an Oscar for her work as a founding director of the Sundance Institute, and her part of the ceremony became a tribute to her son.
Coogler, who presented the award, described her son as Satter's "greatest gift to the world." Satter told the audience she wanted to share the award with Latt, who always "led with love."
Michl's public defender, Kimberly Wong, read a statement for her client during Wednesday's proceeding.
"Ms. Michl changed her plea to guilty in order to take responsibility for her actions and do the right thing for all involved," Wong told the court. "At the time of the shooting she had been homeless on the streets of Los Angeles for nine months and struggling with multiple traumatic events. She is deeply saddened by the tremendous amount of pain she has caused to so many and hopes that her change in plea will help everyone to be able to heal and move forward."
Wong declined to comment further on the case.
Pamela Anderson takes a bow at TIFF for Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl”
The Toronto International Film Festival has played host to many comeback stories over the years. Brendan Fraser was cheered here two years ago for his performance in "The Whale." This year's unlikely comeback story might be Pamela Anderson.
On Friday, Gia Coppola premiered her film "The Last Showgirl," an indie drama starring Anderson as an aging Las Vegas showgirl. Shelley (Anderson) is the long-running star of casino dance show of scantily clad, feather-adorned women that has seen better days. With attendance dwindling, the show's stage manager (Dave Bautista) announces they will soon give their last performance, leaving Shelley — who believes sincerely in the show — pondering her choices.
The film, which is for sale in Toronto, drew mixed reviews but warm applause for the 57-year-old Anderson.
"I've been getting ready my whole life for this role," Anderson told the crowd at the Princess of Wales Theatre following the premiere.
For Anderson, whose most notable credits include "Baywatch" and "Borat," the festival acclaim was a novel experience. Even just getting a script like "The Last Showgirl" was something new for her.
"It's the first time I've read a good script, first of all. I've never had a script come to me that was coherent," said Anderson. "I was like: I'm the only one that can do this. I've never felt that strongly about something."
"The Last Showgirl" extends a run of good fortune for the former Playboy Playmate that includes her 2023 memoir "Love, Pamela" and the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary "Pamela, A Love Story." It also shares some of the same themes as another TIFF entry, the body horror film "The Substance." That film, starring Demi Moore, likewise grapples with agism for female... Read More