April Court Date Set for Suspect in Merrill Executive’s Killing

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 25 in Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys, California, for Anthony Duwayne Turner, the former colleague and ex-boyfriend of slain Bank of America executive Michelle Avan, Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, told ThinkAdvisor on Tuesday.

The preliminary hearing date was set on Tuesday.

Avan was a managing director at Merrill for 22 years before being promoted in June to head of BofA’s global women’s and underrepresented talent strategy, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Turner, of Westchester, California, was arrested Aug. 5 and released Aug. 13 after posting $2 million bail, the Los Angeles Police Department and a Gascón spokesperson had told ThinkAdvisor.

Turner was charged with felony murder and first-degree residential burglary in his former girlfriend’s death, according to Gascón’s spokesperson.

The cause of Avan’s death was unknown, but she “appeared to have suffered trauma to her face,” police said.

“Family members became concerned when they could not contact Avan,” police said. Avan’s son discovered her body, and a member of her family contacted police and Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics.

West Valley Patrol officers arrived at Avan’s home and found her unresponsive, police said, and paramedics pronounced her dead.

Turner allegedly entered Avan’s home on Aug. 3, killed her and left the next day, the district attorney said.

Turner had been with Merrill since 2004, and his registration with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority shifted to BofA Securities in 2019, according to his report on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Avan had considered seeking a restraining order against Turner, with whom she had been in a romantic relationship, NBC4′s I-Team reported, citing law enforcement sources.

Avan’s family requested that Gascón file a special circumstances murder charge against Turner in addition to the charges filed by the district attorney.

(Pictured: Anthony Duwayne Turner)