A judge ruled there is enough evidence to prosecute the surviving members of a crew accused of killing fitness influencer Miguel Aguilar.
Three Northern California men must stand trial for the murder of a Los Angeles fitness influencer who was shot during a 2024 follow-home robbery at his Bel-Air estate, a judge ruled last week, as reported by KTLA 5 News.
The ruling clears the way for trial proceedings against Oakland residents Jason Melara, Daymonee Johnson, and Mahki Taylor. Prosecutors allege the three men, along with a fourth accomplice who later died, traveled from the Bay Area to Southern California for the express purpose of targeting wealthy residents for armed robberies, according to the LA Times.
Miguel Aguilar, the 43-year-old founder of the Self Made Training Facility gym franchise, was shot in the neck during the confrontation on Sept. 13, 2024. Los Angeles Police Department detectives testified that the robbery crew targeted Aguilar and his wife after spotting them eating lunch at a West Hollywood restaurant. The crew followed the couple’s 1959 Chevrolet Impala to their Bel-Air home, where several masked men rushed the driveway and demanded their luxury watches.
Evidence presented at the preliminary hearing indicates that Aguilar, who held a concealed carry permit, drew his own firearm to defend his wife. Though it remains unclear who fired first, Aguilar managed to discharge a single round before he was shot.
The suspects fled the scene, but their getaway vehicle, a gray Acura sedan, crashed in Culver City shortly after running a red light. Two of the suspects dragged accomplice Mario Melara, who had been shot in the back, into a nearby emergency room before fleeing on foot, said the LA Times. Mario Melara, the older brother of defendant Jason Melara, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Because Mario Melara’s death occurred during the commission of a felony, the three surviving suspects are also charged with his murder.
Oakland police and Los Angeles detectives arrested the three surviving suspects a month after the shooting. While in custody, Taylor allegedly admitted to an informant that he fired the fatal shot, claiming he did so only after Aguilar fired at them. Defense attorneys argued that the murder charges against Jason Melara should be dropped because he never pointed a weapon, but the court rejected the motion.
Aguilar, who built a massive social media following by documenting his journey from poverty and addiction to successful business owner, survived for three months in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries on Dec. 21, 2024.