Pretrial Date Nears for Ex-Broker Accused of Murdering BofA-Merrill Exec

Anthony Duwayne Turner faces murder, rape and burglary charges in the 2021 killing of Michelle Avan.

Former broker Anthony Duwayne Turner, charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend and colleague, Bank of America-Merrill executive Michelle Avan, is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Wednesday.

The session is scheduled for Los Angeles County Superior Court’s Van Nuys Courthouse West, Dept. G.

Turner has pleaded not guilty to murder, forcible rape and first-degree residential burglary in Avan’s Aug. 3, 2021, slaying, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office told ThinkAdvisor earlier this year.

The former broker was arrested two days after Avan was killed, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records (case number XNWLA095328-01), and shortly thereafter released on $2 million bail.

Turner worked for years as a Merrill Lynch and then a Bank of America Securities broker, according to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s BrokerCheck page.

Avan had been promoted to a new role, Bank of America senior vice president, Head of Global Women’s and Under-represented Talent Strategy Global Human Resources, shortly before she was killed, after nearly 23 years as a Merrill Lynch managing director, her LinkedIn profile indicates.

Credit: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office