In a chilling case that captured the attention of the nation, Maleesa Mooney, a 31-year-old model and real estate agent based in Los Angeles, California, was found dead in a horrifying manner that seems more like a scene from a crime thriller than real life.
On September 12, 2023, Mooney’s body was discovered inside her refrigerator in her downtown Los Angeles luxury apartment.
The murder led to the arrest on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, of Magnus Daniel Humphrey, a 41-year-old Minnesota resident with a criminal history spanning several states.
Mooney, who had recently moved into her Skye at Bunker Hill unit just a month prior to her death, was found gagged, with her wrists and ankles bound together with electric cords. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), upon conducting a welfare check triggered by unanswered text messages from Mooney’s parents, made the gruesome discovery. The scene was described by officers who noticed blood pooling underneath the refrigerator upon entering the apartment using a key from building management.
An autopsy report revealed Mooney had suffered multiple blunt force injuries to her face, head, back, and upper left arm and a fractured rib. However, these injuries were not immediately considered life-threatening. The report suggested a more violent altercation took place prior to Mooney’s death. Furthermore, toxicology results showed the presence of benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, along with a mix of cocaethylene and ethanol in her system.
Adding a deeply tragic note to the story, Mooney’s sister, Jourdin Pauline, a Guyanese pop star, revealed to KTLA that Maleesa was two months pregnant at the time of her death and had always dreamed of becoming a mother.
The arrest of Magnus Daniel Humphrey in connection with Mooney’s murder introduces a sinister character into this tragic narrative. Humphrey, picked up by police at his Hopkins, Minnesota, home on an unrelated warrant, has been convicted of several felonies in Minnesota and Illinois, including gun charges, assaults, sexual assaults, and false imprisonment. His criminal record paints a picture of a troubled individual with a propensity for violence. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has filed murder charges against Humphrey, with a special allegation of murder during the commission of torture. He was on probation for federal narcotics offenses at the time of his arrest and has waived extradition to face charges in Los Angeles.
This case has not only shocked the local community but has also raised concerns over safety in the city’s upscale neighborhoods. Mooney’s death, occurring just days after another model, Nichole “Nikki” Coats, was found dead in her LA apartment, initially sparked fears of a serial killer targeting models within the downtown area. However, Coats’ death was later ruled accidental, attributed to “cocaine and ethanol toxicity.”
As the legal proceedings against Humphrey unfold, many are left wondering about the circumstances that led to such a brutal act against Mooney, a woman described by those who knew her as full of life and ambition. The LAPD and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office are continuing their investigation, seeking justice for Mooney and her unborn child, and providing some semblance of closure to her devastated family and friends.
