DOWNTOWN — A financial adviser was charged today with murder, money laundering and grand theft in connection with an alleged financial scheme that led to the 2008 fatal stabbing of Alexander Merman, a Russian-born artist who was working as an LAUSD teacher when he was killed in his Santa Monica condo.
Daniel Gilbert Becerril II, 35, was expected to be arraigned this afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. He was charged with 31 felony counts in connection with the slaying, which occurred in the 500 block of Montana Avenue on March 19, 2008.
Merman,35, was found by his building manager who had been asked by Merman’s mother to check in on him.
Police said Merman loaned $250,000 to Becerril, the owner of a company called AP Financial Group. Following the murder, investigators learned that an additional $300,000 had also been stolen from Merman’s investment accounts and deposited into accounts belonging to Becerril and AP Financial.
“Merman thought he was making an investment,” said Santa Monica police chief Tim Jackman at a press conference Friday. “He began to become suspicious and began making inquiries and after a number of months of being unsuccessful in finding out what happened to his money is when we believe the murder took place.”
Detectives also found evidence of a conspiracy involving employees of AP Financial Group in which the home of an unrelated victim was acquired by fraudulent means and was sold to a third party, resulting in the victim being evicted, police said.
Proceeds from the sale allegedly were received by Becerril and his associates.
Becerril’s wife, 33-year-old Sandra Raya Becerril; sister Rebekah Becerril, 25; and a third defendant, Abram Guajardo, 38, were charged today with grand theft, money laundering and forgery for allegedly taking part in the scheme to defraud the homeowner, forcing her out of her Covina home. According to the District Attorney’s Office, victims were swindled out of about $1.4 million.
kevinh@www.smdp.com