Mooney's body was found when LAPD was conducting a welfare check at her apartment
An arrest has been made in connection with the brutal murder of Los Angeles-based model Maleesa Mooney. The LA Police Department has arrested a convicted felon from Minnesota accused of killing the model at her Downtown Los Angeles apartment.
The 31-year-old model was found stuffed inside the refrigerator at her luxury apartment. Her mouth was gagged, and wrists and ankles were bound together, news agency AP reported.
Mooney's body was found when the LAPD was conducting a welfare check at her apartment. The model, who is the sister of Guyanese pop star Jourdin Pauline, was found dead in September last year, the report added.
The suspect, identified as Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 41, was arrested at his home on an unrelated federal warrant. He was then identified as the “suspect responsible” for the model's murder, mentioned in the official statement released by the police department.
While no comment has been made regarding the connection between the model and her suspected killer, the police shared that Humphrey is on federal probation for narcotics charges. Additionally, a possible motive has also not been disclosed.
Mooney's autopsy reports state she was severely tortured before her death and reported "abrasions, lacerations and contusions" across her body, reported CBS News.
While the injuries were not life-threatening, the Medical Examiner stated that “based on the circumstances of how Ms. Mooney was found, these injuries suggest she was likely involved in a violent physical altercation prior to her death”, according to CBS. As a result, the murder charge against Humphrey also includes a special allegation of murder during the commission of torture.
Following Mooney's death, her sister Jourdin Pauline shared a note mourning her loss on Instagram. She wrote: "My heart is crushed, I can't believe you won't be here with us anymore. You were so loving and so kind to everyone. You made sure you ate everyone around you too. You opened your arms to people who didn't deserve you as a friend. You're the best thing to happen to almost everyone's lives you touched!!!"
About the arrest, the LAPD said in a statement: “The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against Humphrey. Humphrey waived extradition and will be transported back to Los Angeles to face charges.”