A convicted drug dealer was charged on Thursday with the murder of a Hollywood studio executive who went missing under mysterious circumstances in 2012 only to have his remains found in the California desert last year.
John Lenzie Creech, 42, who is already serving an eight-year prison term for sale of a controlled substance, was expected to make an initial court appearance in the high-profile murder case early next week.
Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive at 20th Century Fox, was last seen on the night of May 1, 2012, driving his black Mercedes away from a friend's house in suburban Oak Park, north of Los Angeles.
Sheriff's officials issued a missing person bulletin for Smith, also known for playing on UCLA's 1975 national championship basketball team. His family posted a $20,000 reward, saying the 6-foot, 6-inch ex-athlete with "movie star" looks should be easy to spot.
Detectives got a break when Smith's car was found in a storage facility in February 2013 in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley, but his disappearance remained unsolved.
He was declared dead in May of 2014 and a death certificate was issued for him, even though no remains had been found.
In November, police said a skull and other bones found by hikers in a shallow grave in the desert east of Los Angeles had been identified as belonging to Smith, saying they had evidence that he had been murdered.
Authorities have not said how Smith was killed.
Though Creech has long been called a "person of interest" in Smith's death, police and prosecutors have not said what evidence they have linking him to the murder or what they believe could have motivated the crime.
Smith had met Creech's wife, Chandrika Creech, in rehab in 2009, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
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