An heiress to an Armenian cracker bread company named Sparkle Soojian has pleaded not guilty Thursday in connection with a Glendale murder.
The 32-year-old and her boyfriend, Jared Kasiewicz, 28, are accused in the murder of John Michael King-Smith.
Investigators said the 31-year-old victim was beaten and choked in her condo.
King-Smith died at the hospital following the assault.
The heiress was set to be arraigned Tuesday at a Pasadena court house, but suffered a medical emergency while in jail.
"She had a medical condition for which the doctor’s at county jail are treating her and until she is in their opinion ready to be released, she would not appear in court,” her attorney Daniel Behesnilian said.
Soojian’s friend, Courtney Argue, a 25-year-old rising pop star who appears in a music video with Pitbull was charged in the murder as well.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
She pleaded not guilty as an accessory to murder.
Soojian was living in a lavish lifestyle in her Glendale condo where she operated her “shot girl” business.
She hired women to hand out shots of alcohol at LA’s top nightclubs and reportedly ran a successful business.
She was also seen hanging around celebrities while attending Elton John’s 2005 Oscar part when she worked as a freelance writer.
She comes from a wealthy family out of Fresno who invented the Armenian cracker bread sold around the world called Ak Mak.
