The boyfriend of celebrity business manager Angela “Angie” Kukawski, who was found dead in her car last Thursday, has been charged in her death, police said.
Kukawski, 55, who had worked with high-profile clients like the Kardashian family, the rapper Offset and Nicki Minaj, was reported missing from her home in Sherman Oaks on Dec. 22, Los Angeles police said in a news release. Her body was found the next day in her parked vehicle in Simi Valley, police said.
Her boyfriend, Jason Barker, 49, was arrested the same day and booked into the Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of murder, the police department said. Bail was set at over $3 million, according to jail records.
Detectives believe he killed Kukawski in the Sherman Oaks residence they shared, placed her in the car and drove to Simi Valley, where her body was discovered in the vehicle, police said.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Barker with one count of murder and one count of torture. The felony complaint, obtained by NBC News, says Barker used a knife and a firearm in the attack, which it says took place Dec. 21 to Dec. 22.
It was not clear Thursday whether Barker has an attorney.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Officer determined that the cause of death was sharp and blunt force injuries of the head and the neck, as well as strangulation. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Kukawski worked at Boulevard Management in Woodland Hills, which specializes in accounting and financial management services for entertainers, athletes and entrepreneurs. In addition to the Kardashians, she worked with Kanye West and the estate of Tupac Shakur, according to government filings and past associates.
Kukawski, a mother of five, was “beloved” in the industry, friends said.
The Kardashian Jenner family said in a statement: “Angela was truly the best. 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.”
Minaj meanwhile, called Kukawski the “hardest working, most reliable, sweetest person you could ever know,” in a post on Instagram stories.
“You didn’t deserve this, Angela. My heart is breaking for your children. Rest In Peace,” she added.
