Unhoused woman charged in shooting death of music producer in Santa Monica


SANTA MONICA, CA - JANUARY 11: Santa Monica Pier and Harbor Services Supervisor Dan Buchanan, pictured, worked with Elana Buegoff, Santa Monica Pier and Beach Administrator and Santa Monica Police Lt. Rudy Flores Monday morning to configure the best signage at the closure of the Ocean Avenue entrance to the Pier for vehicles. Out of an abundance of caution and to contribute to regional efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, the Santa Monica Pier will temporarily closed the remaining weekends in January. The Pier remains open to pedestrians Monday Through Friday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home as much as possible and the closure is part of meeting this need. Santa Monica Pier on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 in Santa Monica, CA. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

An unhoused woman was arrested last week in the fatal shooting of music producer William James Edwards III in Santa Monica. She was charged with murder Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

An unhoused woman who was arrested last week after allegedly shooting a music producer in Santa Monica has been charged with murder.

Prosecutors said 27-year-old Kayla Delise Mackie was charged Tuesday in the shooting death, along with other crimes.

On the morning of Jan. 25, officers responded to a report of shots fired on 29th Street near Ocean Park Boulevard. At the scene, they “located the victim of the shooting seated in his parked vehicle,” according to a statement by the city of Santa Monica.

The victim, William James Edwards III, was 46. His listed address was in Venice and websites such as IMDb and LinkedIn showed he worked with artists including Travis Scott and Lil Cobaine. He is also listed as producer for a 2018 movie called “Haunting on Fraternity Row,” along with at least two short films.

On his Instagram account, rapper Lil Cobaine wrote a tribute to Edwards, saying, “to say we were friends would put a damper on the brotherhood we’ve built and the moments and memories we’ve accumulated over the 9 years that we’ve been FAMILY. you meant the world to me.”

A GoFundMe page for his two sons said that Edwards, who went by BJ, was “a talented man that excelled at everything he did.”

Read more:A Santa Monica police employee molested more than 200 kids. Warnings of abuse were ignored

The music producer would be missed by many in the entertainment industry, the page said.

Police located the suspect, Mackie, in West L.A. the morning after the shooting. They were tipped off by witnesses who said they saw Mackie leave the scene, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.

The police said Mackie was “currently experiencing homelessness.”

Mackie was also “responsible for additional crimes in Los Angeles, including an armed robbery and an attempted homicide,” the city statement alleged.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.





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