A woman was charged Friday with murdering her 62-year-old landlord, whose body was found this week in the back yard of his home in the Harbor Gateway area of Los Angeles.
Kristen Olson, 39, pleaded not guilty to the murder count stemming from Royce Leon Lanham’s shooting.
The charge includes gun use allegations, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Lanham’s body was discovered about 9:50 a.m. Wednesday in the 800 block of West 173rd Street, between Vermont Avenue and the Harbor (110) Freeway, authorities said.
Olson, who was inside a residence near where the body was discovered, was taken into custody following a standoff with officers, Los Angeles police said.
Olson rented a room in the man’s home, and his body was found in the back yard of the home, according to Deputy District Attorney Drew Josfan.
The criminal complaint alleges that Olson — also known as Kristen King Olson — killed Lanham on or between Sept. 5 and Sept. 12. An autopsy is pending.
She was ordered to be held in lieu of $3 million bail while awaiting her next court appearance Oct. 4 in a Compton courtroom.
If convicted as charged, she could face up to 50 years to life in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.