Update (August 10, 2021):  The ex-boyfriend of Michelle Avan, a prominent Bank of America executive, was identified as the alleged killer after she was found beaten to death inside her California home, NBC Los Angeles reported. 

Anthony Duwayne Turner, 52, who was also Avan’s colleague, is accused of fatally beating Avan who was found unresponsive by family members inside her Reseda, Los Angeles home earlier this month.

“Ms. Avan was a leader in our community and this senseless act of violence has resulted in a significant loss to us all,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. 

Turner was taken into custody and pleaded not guilty to one felony count of murder and one count of first-degree residential burglary on Monday.

According to detectives, the 48-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, and appeared to have suffered "trauma to the face.”

Avan served as the senior vice president for Bank of America and worked in global human resources where she recruited women and underrepresented talent.

“My mom was such a beautiful person, just so loving, if there was anything that you needed from her, she would be there,” her son Trevor Avan said at a news conference outside the courthouse, CBS Los Angeles reported.

“She didn’t even get a chance to see her granddaughter’s second birthday because she was taken from us,” he added.

Turner’s bail is currently set at $2 million and he remains in custody. His next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 16.

Original (August 9, 2021): A man has been arrested in connection with the killing of Michelle Avan, the senior vice president at Bank of America, who was found dead in her California home last week.


Avan’s colleague, 52-year-old Anthony Duwayne Turner, was arrested on Friday on suspicion of killing the Bank of America executive, and is currently being held on a $2 million bail at a Los Angeles jail, ABC-7 reported.

On Thursday morning, a relative discovered Avan’s body in her Los Angeles residence after family members grew concerned when they were unable to reach her, KCAL-9 reported. 

When responding officers arrived on the scene, they found the 48-year-old financial executive unresponsive and paramedics pronounced her dead on the scene.

At this time, investigators have not determined a motive, and it’s not clear how Avan died but homicide detectives said she “appeared to have suffered trauma to her face.”  

The Los Angeles Sentinel executive publisher Danny Bakewell, who worked with Avan in the past, told the Los Angeles' CBS affiliate station that he was devastated. 

“Michelle was a dear friend and dedicated warrior for our community, and a dear friend to me and my entire family,” Bakewell said.

“This news is just devastating,” he continued.

Bank of America released a statement to People magazine, expressing their condolences.

“We are devastated by the news. Michelle was a valued member of our company for more than 20 years and will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest sympathies to her family,” the statement read.

In June, Bank of America hired Avan as its senior vice president to “hire, retain, develop and advance female and under-represented talent across the company,” the Los Angeles Sentinel reported.

In recent years, she has been recognized as an icon within the financial industry. 

In 2019, she was selected by the Los Angeles Sentinel as one of Los Angeles' influential Black women leaders. 

She was also featured in Essence magazine in 2017 for successfully climbing the ranks at Merrill Lynch, going from the company’s receptionist to supervising multimillion-dollar accounts. 

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