The woman charged in the death of Hollywood marketing consultant Michael Latt also stalked a film director and repeatedly threatened suicide, according to a court filing.
Jameelah Michl, 36, has been charged with murder and burglary for allegedly breaking into Latt’s home on Monday and shooting him. Prosecutors stated in a press release on Thursday that she targeted Latt “for being friends with a woman she had been stalking.”
The D.A.’s office did not identify the woman. But according to court records, director A.V. Rockwell obtained a restraining order against Michl after receiving a series of disturbing emails and handwritten messages from her earlier this year.
The Los Angeles Times first reported on the restraining order.
According to the records, Michl worked as a stand-in and a background actor on Rockwell’s feature debut, “A Thousand and One,” which won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
After the film wrapped, Rockwell received unsolicited fan mail and gifts from Michl. Rockwell wrote in a declaration that Michl then appeared at two publicity events for the film in March and attempted to make contact with her, “ignoring my obvious discomfort with her attempts to connect and build a personal relationship.”
Michl later obtained Rockwell’s home address and delivered a handwritten note in which she threatened suicide, according to the filing.
“My Glock is Loaded as I write this,” Michl wrote. “One pull of the trigger and I’ll be free.”
The producers of the film responded to Michl, offering mental health services and demanding that she stop contacting Rockwell. Michl declined and instead escalated her threats, according to the filing.
Rockwell blocked her phone number, but Michl would call from fake numbers, she alleged.
“She has made multiple attempts to emotionally blackmail me, threatening to ruin my career and derail the success of the film by going public about my alleged abandonment of a suicidal person,” Rockwell wrote.
Rockwell alleged that Michl then cyber-bullied her on Twitter and Instagram, making anonymous posts falsely claiming that Rockwell had once sold drugs and hated Black men. The posts appeared intended to damage Rockwell’s professional reputation and harm the release of the film, Rockwell alleged.
Rockwell filed a police report in June, saying she felt stalked, threatened and harassed.
Latt was the founder of Lead With Love, a social impact marketing company. He worked with a number of high-profile Black artists and filmmakers, including Ryan Coogler and Common. His mother, Michelle Satter, is the longtime leader of Sundance’s filmmaking labs.
Latt attended the Sundance premiere of Rockwell’s film in January, and posted about it on Instagram.
“There’s nothing like the energy of a world premiere at #Sundance Film Festival and the two I’ve attended this year were especially memorable because they were for two of my favorite people’s films,” he wrote.
Rockwell responded: “Thank you, Michael… love youuu!!”
(Pictured above: Michelle Satter, left, A.V. Rockwell, and Satter’s late son Michael Latt at the Sundance Film Festival “A Thousand And One” premiere.)
