Prosecutors: Murder victim strangled to death

The 31-year-old man killed in a Glendale apartment last week was reportedly beaten and choked to death by the boyfriend of the woman who lived there, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

A self-described heiress, Sparkle Soojian, 32, who lived in the apartment, and her boyfriend, Jared Kasiewicz, 28, were each charged with one count of murder in connection with the man’s death.

Soojian is slated to be arraigned Thursday, while Kasiewicz pleaded not guilty Monday.

Soojian’s friend and co-worker, Courtney Argue, 25, was charged with one count of accessory after the fact of murder. She pleaded not guilty Monday.

Around 2 a.m. Thursday, police were called to the 200 block of West Windsor Road, where the victim, identified in court records as John Michael King-Smith, was in a state of “medical distress,” said Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

The victim, who did not live at the residence, was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to Argue’s attorney Alex Kessel, Soojian had called Argue scared and had asked her to come over after the victim showed up at Soojian’s home.

Argue worked serving shots at bars and clubs for Soojian’s business, Sparkle’s Angels.

Soojian and King-Smith also reportedly knew each other, though it’s unclear how.

When Argue arrived at the home with another man, several people were already there and a fight was reportedly in progress, Kessel said.

Argue, however, called the police to report the incident and captured parts of it on video, Kessel said, denying any wrongdoing on behalf of his client.

Soojian has domestic violence and assault charges pending against her stemming from an incident earlier this year in which she allegedly attacked her boyfriend — co-defendant Kasiewicz — with a glass shard, court records show.

According to her website, Soojian is the heiress of Ak Mak, an international Armenian cracker-bread company started by her grandparents.

Neither Soojian nor Kasiewicz’s attorneys could be immediately reached.

If convicted, Soojian and Kasiewicz both face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. Soojian is being held in lieu of more than $1 million bail, while Kasiewicz is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Meanwhile, Argue, who is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, faces up to three years in prison if convicted.