Boyfriend arrested in torture-killing of Angela Kukawski, manager whose clients included Kardashians
Police believe the victim's boyfriend killed her in their Sherman Oaks home, placed her in her vehicle and drove to Simi Valley.
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Nearly a week after celebrity business manager Angela "Angie" Kukawski was found dead inside her vehicle in Simi Valley, authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of her boyfriend on suspicion of torture and murder.
Los Angeles and Simi Valley police investigators responded to the 1500 block of Patricia Ave in Simi Valley on Dec. 23, following up on a missing-person investigation, the LAPD said in a statement.
Kukawski, 55, had been reported missing a day earlier, the news release said. Her body was discovered inside her vehicle, which was parked on Patricia Avenue.
The woman's boyfriend, 49-year-old Jason Barker, was arrested and booked into a jail facility in Van Nuys, where he was being held on $3.07 million bail, according to jail records. The L.A. County district attorney's office later charged him with one count each of torture and murder.
In a felony complaint filed in Superior Court, prosecutors said that Barker, using a knife, "did unlawfully and with the intent to cause cruel and extreme pain and suffering for the purpose of revenge, extortion, persuasion and for a sadistic purpose, inflict great bodily injury" upon Kukawski.
Detectives believe Barker killed Kukawski inside their home in Sherman Oaks, put her inside her car, drove it to Simi Valley, parked it and left her inside, authorities said.
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The Ventura County coroner's office described the cause of death was "sharp and blunt force injuries of the head and neck and strangulation."
Kukawski, a mother of five, was an L.A.-based business manager whose high-profile clients included the Kardashians, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Angela was truly the best," the Kardashian and Jenner family said in a statement provided to ABC7. "She cared about everyone of us and made things happen that were impossible. She will be greatly missed and we send our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones during this most difficult time."
Kukawski also worked with rapper Nicki Minaj, who wrote in an Instagram story, "Hardest working, most reliable, sweetest person you could ever know. You didn't deserve this, Angela. My heart is breaking for your children. Rest In Peace."
Todd Bozick of Boulevard Management said in a statement: "We are saddened and heartbroken by the loss of our colleague, Angie Kukawski. Angie was a kind, wonderful person, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her."
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call the LAPD Valley Bureau homicide detectives at (818) 374-9550.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
