Fired bondage club worker charged in shooting death of former boss, burning club
July 30, 2010 | 7:20 am
L.A. prosecutors have filed murder charges against a former employee accused of shooting the owner of a bondage club near Los Angeles International Airport and then setting the business on fire.
David Edward Albert, 53, was booked early Wednesday on suspicion of arson and murder in connection with Tuesday's fire at the Passive Arts Studio, a bondage club near Los Angeles International Airport described on <http://www.myspace.com/passiveartsstudio>its Myspace page as the "largest, most elegant and best equipped play area in the nation." He was formally charged Thursday. Authorities said the owner, identified as John Lavine, no age available, was found shot to death inside the burning business.
Albert had been fired from the club last week, said Luis Castro, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Deputies discovered him across the street from the blaze, hiding in the bushes. He was bleeding and said he had been hit by a car.
After some questioning, he was arrested. His bail was set at $1 million.
The fire was reported at 11:35 a.m. Tuesday at 10914 S. La Cienega Blvd. When firefighters arrived, they found the 50-by-100-foot building engulfed in flames and smoke, said L.A. County Fire Inspector Frederic Stowers.