L.A. model found dead in refrigerator allowed suspected killer to stay in her apartment before brutal slaying

Maleesa Mooney, a 31-year-old model and real estate agent whose body was found stuffed inside a refrigerator in her downtown L.A. apartment last year, allowed the suspect in her slaying to stay in her home only to be “repaid with torture and murder,” according to prosecutors.

Mooney was found dead Sept. 12 in her apartment in the 200 block of South Figueroa Street after her family requested a welfare check, authorities said. Mooney’s body was found inside a refrigerator, with wrists and ankles bound and her mouth gagged, according to an autopsy report by the L.A. County medical examiner.

She died by “homicidal violence” inflicted by others, the medical examiner ruled. Her family confirmed that Mooney was two months pregnant at the time of her death. She is believed to have been killed on Sept. 7, five days before her body was found, according to court records.

Suspect Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 41, of Hopkins, Minn., was arrested on Nov. 3, 2023, in Minneapolis and was extradited to Los Angeles, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Humphrey was on federal probation at the time and was arrested at his home on an unrelated federal warrant, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 41, of Hopkins, Minn., was arrested on an “unrelated federal warrant” before he was extradited to L.A. and charged in the death of Maleesa Mooney.

(KTLA)

L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a statement that Humphrey had been staying with Mooney before her brutal killing but didn’t specify their relationship or how long Humphrey had lived with her.

“Ms. Mooney opened her home to this individual with trust, but was repaid with torture and murder,” Gascón said. “The heinous disregard for Ms. Mooney’s life will not go unpunished. Justice is being sought, and he will be held accountable.”

Humphrey was charged with one count of murder and one count of torture; he pleaded not guilty to both charges Thursday and is being held without bail, according to the district attorney’s office. If convicted, Humphrey could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Humphrey’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 7.

“We are very pleased that an arrest was made,” Heather Hammock, Mooney’s aunt, told TV station ABC7 outside the courthouse Thursday. “We’re full of so many different emotions. We are very grateful and thankful that he was caught. Please continue to pray for our family. We just want justice for my niece.”

Humphrey has an extensive criminal history spanning across multiple states. In Illinois, Humphrey was charged in September 1999 with felony battery and aggravated assault but the case was dropped, according to court records. He was arrested again in 1999 and 2002 on several drug-related charges, including possession with intent to deliver cannabis.

In Minnesota, Humphrey was convicted in August 2009 of felony second-degree assault and in May 2013 of felony third-degree assault, according to court records. He was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition.

He was also charged in 2009 with false imprisonment and first-degree aggravated robbery, but those charges were dismissed, according to court records. He was convicted in 2009 of illegally possessing a firearm, a felony offense.

Mooney was last seen on video surveillance at her apartment complex on Sept. 6, according to her autopsy report. Her mother requested a welfare check six days later and police entered the apartment using a key from property management.

Jourdin Pauline, Mooney’s sister, told The Times in October that Mooney’s laptop and phone had been stolen, along with a designer purse. She said that whoever killed her sister probably knew her phone passcode, because they were sending her family “vague” texts. Pauline didn’t specify what the text messages said.

Mooney had gone out with friends to a bar in Santa Monica on Sept. 6 and hung out with them in her apartment until 3 or 4 a.m., Pauline said. She also FaceTimed their cousin that same day. Her family never heard from her again after that.

Mooney worked for Nester Seekers, a Beverly Hills real estate agency, for nearly two years and also modeled part-time, Pauline said.