Three Oakland men were ordered to stand trial in the killing of a popular Los Angeles fitness influencer who prosecutors said was followed home and shot during an attempted burglary in 2024.

Mahki Taylor, Daymonee Johnson and Jason Melara, all 20, face two murder charges and other counts stemming from the confrontation that mortally wounded Self Made Training Facility founder Miguel Angel Aguilar. Mario Melara, an alleged fourth participant and Jason Melara’s older brother, was also killed in the incident.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis B. Rappe ruled last week that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial. The three defendants remain jailed without bail and were scheduled to be arraigned July 22, according to a court report. 

Prosecutors alleged the four men traveled from Oakland to Los Angeles to commit robberies and targeted Augilar, 43, after seeing him and his wife at a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard on Sept. 13, 2024.

Aguilar and his wife left the restaurant and drove to their Bel Air home, according to testimony reported by the Los Angeles Times. Surveillance video allegedly showed a gray Acura following them into the neighborhood.

Aguilar’s wife told investigators that several masked, armed men approached in the driveway and demanded the couple’s watches, Los Angeles police Detective Frank Flores testified, according to the Times. 

Aguilar, who had a permit to carry a concealed firearm, drew his gun. His wife could not tell investigators who fired first, Flores testified.

Aguilar was shot in the neck. Mario Melara was shot in the back.

The Acura fled toward a Culver City hospital, where surveillance footage allegedly showed two men pulling a wounded Mario Melara into the emergency room, according to the Times. He died at the hospital.

Jason Melara, Taylor and Johnson left the area on foot and were arrested in Oakland about a month later, according to testimony reported by the Times.

Aguilar remained hospitalized for three months before dying Dec. 21, 2024. His company announced his death and described him as a fitness entrepreneur, mentor, husband and father. 

Taylor allegedly told a police informant while being held in the Berkeley jail that he shot Aguilar after he fired at Mario Melara, Flores testified. The detective said Taylor also described using an unregistered firearm that jammed after the shooting. 

The three surviving defendants were charged with murdering both Aguilar and Mario Melara. They pleaded not guilty to the original charges in November 2024. 

Prosecutors contend they can be held responsible for Melara’s death because the armed robbery allegedly provoked the fatal confrontation, even though Aguilar is alleged to have fired the shot that killed him, the Times reported.

The murder charge involving Aguilar includes a special-circumstance allegation that the killing occurred during an attempted robbery, along with an allegation that Taylor intentionally fired a gun, according to the court report.

The defendants also face charges involving the attempted robbery of Aguilar and his wife, shooting at an occupied vehicle and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. 

They are additionally accused of robbing another man of a diamond bracelet and necklace in a market parking lot a day before Aguilar was shot.

At the preliminary hearing, Jason Melara’s attorney, Andrew Stein, urged the judge to dismiss the murder charges, arguing that prosecutors had not shown that his client pointed a gun at Aguilar or established his precise role in the confrontation.

“It’s a tragedy for everybody involved,” Stein said, according to the Times. 

Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall argued that the defendants created a deadly situation by attempting to take property at gunpoint from Aguilar and his wife outside their home. 

Aguilar had built a large online audience by discussing his recovery from addiction and his path to founding Self Made Training Facility, a gym company with locations in California and several other states. 

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This article originally published at 3 Oakland men ordered to stand trial in killing of Los Angeles fitness influencer.