The boyfriend of celebrity business manager Angela Kukawski has been arrested on suspicion of murder and torture after her body was found in a car last week.
Jason Barker, 49, was taken into custody on December 23 at a home on the 1500 block of Patricia Avenue in Simi Valley. He was booked into Van Nuys Jail.
Barker allegedly killed 55-year-old Kukawski inside their Sherman Oaks home and placed her body in a vehicle. He drove to Simi Valley, where investigators say Barker has a relative. Kukawski was reported missing on December 22.
“At about 2 a.m. on December 23, LAPD investigators contacted Simi Valley Police and said they were coming into our jurisdiction on this investigation that was initially characterized as missing person investigation,” Simi Valley Police spokesman Officer C.Nicholson said.
Shortly after contacting Simi Police, the LAPD alerted the department that they had located the missing person deceased inside a car. Barker was taken into custody at his relative’s home without incident.
NBC Los Angeles reports that Kukawski’s cause of death was listed as “sharp and blunt force injuries to the head and neck, and strangulation,” according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. It’s believed that Barker killed Kukawski “on or between” December 21 and 22. He used a knife and a gun to kill her.
The mother of five worked for Boulevard Management. She worked with several high-profile clients, including Nicki Minaj, the Kardashians, and Kanye West.
“Angela was truly the best. She cared about every one of us and made things happen that were impossible,” the Kardashians told The New York Post. “She will be greatly missed, and we send our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones during this most difficult time.”
