Dispute over bounced check caused brutal Hollywood shotgun killing: Cops
Source: us.tomonews.net
Carrie Melvin, an aspiring Hollywood production assistant, was strolling with her boyfriend not far from Sunset Boulevard on the evening of July 5 when someone murdered her with a shotgun. Police have now arrested a suspect, Ezeoma Obioha, 31, and say his motivation was likely a dispute over a bounced check worth just a few hundred dollars.
A Los Angeles woman murdered by a shotgun blast to the head on July 5 was not the victim of a random assassin, police say, after arresting 31-year-old Ezeoma Obioha Friday.
Carrie Jean Melvin, 30, was an aspiring Hollywood production assistant who worked as both a waitress and bartender while simultaneously running a small media promotions company.
The suspect, 31-year-old Ezeoma Obioha, was a licensed security guard and worked at a medical marijuana dispensary reportedly next door to a small storefront featuring a clothing line he had designed.
Reports indicate Obioha had contacted Melvin and requested her assistance in promoting a new section of his business. However, after Obioha's check bounced, Melvin allegedly threatened to take them to court over the matter. The amount of money in question was said to be only several hundred US dollars.
LA authorities allege that on the night of July 5, as Carrie and her boyfriend were walking near her apartment located not far from Sunset Boulevard, Smith was lying in wait and as the couple stopped at a street corner, Obioha raised a shotgun to the back of Carrie's head and fired a single fatal shot.
Obioha was arrested on the evening of July 24 in Los Angeles and is being held on US$1 million bail. He has yet to be charged.
Obioha was active in civic organizations involved in neighborhood policing and security. It's unknown why he may have resorted to murder to solve what seems to be a trivial financial dispute.
Carrie Jean Melvin, 31, grew up in Morro Bay California, but moved to Los Angeles about four years ago, her father said, to chase dreams of working in the entertainment industry. According to her dad, Carrie had completed a double-major in film and English at UC Santa Cruz and was working several jobs in addition to heading up her own small business.
The Los Angeles Times quoted Melvin's father as saying that while he is pleased a suspect has been arrested there is no celebratory mood as he cannot understand how this "violent, senseless, meaningless act" could possibly have taken the life of his only child.
Murder suspect Ezeoma Obioha, left, pictured here with recording artist Pharrell, claims to be a U.S. Army vet and a Morehouse College graduate. FACEBOOK / EZEOMA OBIOHA
Carrie Jean Melvin worked her way through college, her father told the Los Angeles Times, and had moved to LA roughly four years ago to follow a dream of working in the entertainment industry. FACEBOOK / REMEMBERING CARRIE JEAN MELVIN
Source: tomonews.net