LOS ANGELES, CA – Prosecutors allege a Los Angeles man killed his girlfriend, 38-year-old Christina Downer, more than a year ago and that a second woman helped dispose of her body, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The district attorney charged Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, of Los Angeles with one count of murder and two felony counts of injuring a spouse, according to a news release issued Nov. 2. Kaylee Markowski, 34, of Los Angeles, Brandon’s girlfriend, was charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact.
Prosecutors allege Brandon killed Downer on or about Sept. 19, 2025. Her body has not been located.
Downer is the sister of former “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested both defendants Oct. 29, and each is being held on $2 million bail.
Charges filed against both defendants
The two spouse-injury counts against Brandon involve assaults on his wife on two occasions in 2022, the district attorney’s office said. Those counts are separate from the murder allegation involving Downer.
Brandon faces life in state prison if convicted as charged. Markowski faces up to three years in county jail.
The accessory count against Markowski alleges she helped dispose of Downer’s body. Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams of the Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case.
Downer reported missing in December 2025
Downer was reported missing Dec. 18, 2025, after her ex-husband asked police to conduct a welfare check. Prosecutors allege she had been killed about three months earlier.
In an earlier missing-person release, the LAPD said Downer was last contacted Dec. 10, 2025, by text message with a friend. Her last known location was in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles.
The department described her as 5 feet 1 inch tall, about 115 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. It said she had no known medical conditions and no prior missing episodes.
Detectives take over the investigation
LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division detectives took over the case after Downer’s cellphone washed ashore at Santa Monica Beach, according to initial reports. In early October, authorities searched an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree with K-9 units and help from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, according to initial reports.
In April, Fowlie said in a public post that the LAPD had informed the family that his sister was no longer alive and that the case had moved from a missing-person case to a homicide investigation. He wrote: “Our prayers for her to be found safely have transformed into prayers for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable.”
Fowlie also said the family believed that in the weeks before Downer disappeared, her phone and social media accounts were compromised and used to create a false narrative that she had gone off the grid.
Arrests made Oct. 29
The LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division said detectives arrested Brandon and Markowski on Oct. 29 on suspicion of murder. The department identified them as responsible for Downer’s murder, the disposal of her body and the concealment of their involvement.
Brandon was arrested in the 6000 block of Garvanza Avenue in Los Angeles, the LAPD said. Markowski was arrested in the 6000 block of Tampa Avenue in Tarzana.
Both were booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center. Detectives said they planned to present their evidence to the district attorney’s office, which then filed the charges.
District attorney comments on the case
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said that although Downer has not been located, two people were charged who are accused of playing a role in her death.
The release states: “More than a year has passed since Christina Downer vanished and her family and friends have dealt with uncertainty amid the profound loss of someone they loved so much.”
Prosecutors have not publicly disclosed a motive.
Anyone with information asked to contact detectives
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division at 213-382-9470 or 1-877-527-3247. Tips can also be left with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the charges against Brandon and Markowski are allegations that remain subject to the criminal court process.
Arraignment scheduled for Nov. 2 in Department 30
Both defendants were scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 2 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. At an arraignment, according to the California Judicial Branch’s criminal court overview, “The defendant goes to court. They find out what they’re charged with and what their rights are.”
A felony case then moves through pretrial activity, including a preliminary hearing. The charges against both defendants are pending, and Downer’s body has not been found.
