Another hearing has been set for ex-broker Anthony Duwayne Turner, charged with the 2021 murder of his former colleague and ex-girlfriend, Bank of America-Merrill executive Michelle Avan.
The next date is for a preliminary hearing on May 8 at 8:30 a.m. in Room 107 of the Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys, California, according to the court’s website.
The latest date was scheduled on Monday as another hearing was held in the same courtroom for Turner.
A Pitchess motion was granted to Turner last year so that he and his attorney could inspect a police officer’s personnel file for any evidence of misconduct.
Defense attorneys often make a Pitchess motion during the pretrial process, when they suspect that police may have acted improperly by, for example. filing an inaccurate police report. When granted, a judge typically releases any information they believe is relevant about the police officer in question to the defendant.
Avan’s Death
Avan was a managing director at Merrill Lynch for 22 years before being promoted in June 2021 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, 2021, and released a few days later, after posting $2 million bail, the Los Angeles Police Department and a spokesman for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón told ThinkAdvisor at the time.
Turner was charged with felony murder and first-degree residential burglary in his former girlfriend’s death, according to a spokesman for Gascón.
The cause of Avan’s death was initially unknown, but she “appeared to have suffered trauma to her face,” police said at the time.