Rising pop star, self-proclaimed Armenian cracker bread heiress named Sparkle and her US Marine husband charged in murder of California music producer
- John Michael King-Smith, 31, was found dead inside a Glendale, California, condo early Thursday
- Suspects identified as Sparkle Soojian, 32, her husband Jared Kasciewicz, 28, and singer Courtney Argue, 25
- Soojian and Kasciewicz charged with felony murder; Argue faces charge of accessory to murder after the fact
- Argue is a rising pop singer who works on the side as a 'shot girl' for her friend Soojian's company Sparkle's Angles
- Soojian, 32, claims to be heiress of Ak Mak - an Armenian cracker bread that was invented by her great-grandparents
Three people have been arrested and charged in connection to a man's murder in Glendale, California, among them an aspiring pop star and a self-proclaimed Armenian cracker bread heiress.
The suspects have been identified as Sparkle Soojian, 32, her husband Jared Kasciewicz, 28, and singer Courtney Argue, 25.
The trio are accused of killing John Michael King-Smith, 31, the founder and CEO of Blacksmith Records, inside a condominium in Glendale Thursday morning.
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Murder suspects: Aspiring pop diva Courtney Argue, 25 (left), her friend Sparkle Soojian, 32, and Jared Kasciewicz, 28 (right), have been charged with murdering a man in California
Slain: John Michael King-Smith, 31, the founder and CEO of Blacksmith Records, was discovered dead inside Soojian's home in Glendale Thursday morning
Crime scene: Police were called to this home on West Windsor Road after getting a report about a disturbance
Police responded to a home in the 200 block of West Windsor Road at around 2am after getting a report about a disturbance.
Officers entered the home where Ms Soojian lives and found King-Smith 'in a state of medical distress.'
The 31-year-old was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Investigators believe that Soojian and Kasciewicz, who are married, killed King-Smith. The cause of the victim’s death has not been released as of Tuesday afternoon.
‘Detectives believe the adult male victim was targeted and this was not a random act of violence,’ police said. ‘The male victim did not live at this location.’
Mr Kasciewicz, who serves in the US Marine Corp, appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to a felony murder count. He is being held on $1million bail.
King-Smith (left and right) was discovered 'in a state of medical distress.' He later died in a hospital
Claim of innocence: Argue, pictured in court Monday, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory to murder after the fact
Blonde ambition: Ms Argue, 25, is an up-and-coming pop singer who works on the side as a 'shot girl'
BFFs: Argue (right) is friends with Ms Soojian (left), who also employs her in her company Sparkle's Angles, which provides women to night clubs and parties as servers
Innocent: Argue's attorney claims his client was summoned to Soojian's home on the night of the murder by her friend but played no part in the killing
Sparkle Soojian, who is facing the same charge, is expected to be arraigned sometime today.
Courtney Argue has pleaded not guilty to a charge of accessory to murder after the fact. She was released Monday after posting $50,000 bail.
Courtney Argue's attorney Alex Kessel denied any wrongdoing on behalf of his client.
He told NBC4 that Soojian, who is close friends with the singer, called the 25-year-old in panic Thursday and asked her to come over after John King-Smith showed up at her home in the middle of the night.
According to the lawyer, by the time his client arrived, she found a fight already in progress inside Soojian’s condo.
The 25-year-old voluptuous blonde is a rising pop singer who works on the side for her friend Soojian's company Sparkle's Angles, which provides young women for night clubs and parties to serve shots.
Warrior: Mr Kasciewicz is a US Marine who is married to Sparkle Soojian
Troubled marriage: Soojian has a domestic violence and assault case pending against her involving her husband (left and right), whom she had allegedly attacked with a shard of glass earlier this year
Cracker empire: The 32-year-old claims to be heiress of Ak Mak - an Armenian cracker bread that was invented by her great-grandparents
According to Soojian's profile on her company website, the 32-year-old is heiress of Ak Mak - an Armenian cracker bread that was invented by her great-grandparents.
The bio claims that she dropped out of school after eighth grade and was homeschooled through high school to focus on writing and acing. Her credits, according to the profile, include co-hosting Nickelodeon’s Snick house with Nick Cannon and MTV events.
Sparkle's Angles employees 30 women as club servers throughout Southern California, the website claims.
Glendale News Press reported that the raven-haired entrepreneur also has a domestic violence and assault case pending against her involving her husband, whom she had allegedly attacked with a shard of glass earlier this year.
Ak-Mak Bakeries' official website states the company's signature 15-inch round cracker bread is the brainchild of the Soojian family, which have been cranking out Armenian baked goods in the US since 1983 - first in Lowell, Massachusetts, and later in California.
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