Self-described cracker-bread heiress gets three years in 2015 choking death
The self-proclaimed heiress to an Armenian cracker-bread company was sentenced to three years in prison last week for her involvement in a man’s 2015 choking death.
Sparkle Soojian, who claimed on her website to be the heiress to the Ak Mak cracker-bread company, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of John Michael King-Smith, 31.
Soojian’s then-boyfriend, Jared Kasiewicz, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter; his sentencing is scheduled for June.
King-Smith was the ex-boyfriend of Soojian’s roommate and had shown up unannounced at their Glendale apartment on the night of Sept. 10, 2015, according to court testimony.
An altercation broke out, and Soojian texted Kasiewicz to come over.
When the former Marine arrived at the apartment, he tackled King-Smith and placed him in a choke hold, according to court testimony.
Video recorded during the incident reportedly shows Kasiewicz choking King-Smith and asking people nearby for rope to tie him up. He then bound King-Smith’s wrists to his feet.
Kasiewicz washed off the blood he had gotten on himself during the scuffle, then told several people in the apartment he “wasn’t here” and left, according to court testimony.
Soojian then called police to report a break-in had occurred and said that neighbors tied up King-Smith.
When officers arrived, they found King-Smith in a state of medical distress. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, King-Smith died of asphyxia and a compressed neck.
Nguyen writes for Times Community News
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