3 Face Murder Charges In Botched Follow-Home Robbery Of LA Fitness Mogul

LOS ANGELES, CA — Three Oakland men accused in the fatal follow-home robbery of a fitness influencer and entrepreneur are set to stand trial on murder, robbery and assault charges.

Mahki Jamir Taylor, Jason Alexander Melara and Daymonee Christian Johnson are charged in the September 2024 attempted robbery outside Miguel Angel Aguilar's Bel-Air home that claimed both Aguilar's life and that of a fourth suspect and Jason Alexander Melara's brother, Mario Melara, according to the Los Angeles Times.

On Tuesday, a judge ruled that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for the men to stand trial.

Prosecutors in court said the four men had driven some 500 miles from Oakland to Los Angeles with the purpose of committing robberies. The group had already robbed another victim of jewelry the day before they targeted Aguilar, according to the Times.

Aguilar and his wife had just finished lunch at Bossa Nova in West Hollywood on Sept. 13, 2024, when the suspects began following his customized 1959 Chevrolet Impala through traffic to his home on Thurston Circle in Bel-Air, prosecutors claim.

Aguilar's wife told investigators that masked gunmen confronted the couple in their driveway and demanded their watches, the Times reported.

Aguilar, who had a permit to carry a concealed firearm, drew his own handgun during the confrontation. His wife told investigators she could not determine who fired first, but both Aguilar and one of the suspects each fired a single shot, the Times reported.

Aguilar suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and collapsed inside his vehicle.

Authorities say Aguilar shot Mario Melara in the back during the exchange. The other suspects took him to a local hospital before fleeing. Melara died from his injuries, the Times reported.

Taylor later admitted to a jailhouse informant that he shot Aguilar after Aguilar shot Mario Melara, according to detective testimony reported by the Times. The detective also testified that Taylor said the ghost gun he was carrying jammed after the shooting.

Aguilar survived for more than three months before dying in December 2024, from injuries sustained in the shooting.

The three defendants are facing murder charges in connection to the deaths of both Aguilar and Melara's deaths, under the theory that the suspect's death was provoked by the armed robbery of Aguilar, the Times reported.

Aguilar founded Self Made Training Facility, a fitness franchise that grew to roughly 30 locations across several states. He built a large following by sharing his story of overcoming poverty and addiction while promoting entrepreneurship and fitness.

Following his death, Aguilar's family described him as "a visionary, an inspiration, a mentor, a father, a husband" whose impact extended throughout the fitness industry.

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