STUDIO CITY—A man who set fire to a Studio City recording studio, that killed two people and severely injured a teenage girl, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison on Wednesday, July 28.
According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, Efrem Zimbalist Demery, 31, of Los Angeles, pleaded no contest to two charges of murder and one charge of arson of a structure.
District Attorney George Gascón stated in a press release, “Although the life sentence, in this case, does not bring back the victims, it does hold the defendant accountable for his deadly actions. My deepest sympathies go out to the families, whose lives were forever altered by this atrocious crime.”
The Los Angeles Police Department reported that on April 14, 2018, Demery used gasoline and a lighter that he purchased across the street to set fire to the recording studio located at the 3700 block of Cahuenga Boulevard. Demery allegedly gotten into an argument with the two victims, Devaughn Carter and Michael Pollard. The victims were asleep at the time of the fire.
Demery fled the scene after starting the fire and was later arrested in Willowbrook after being stopped by police officers for a traffic violation.
