Three Oakland men accused in the fatal attempted robbery of Los Angeles fitness entrepreneur Miguel Angel Aguilar were ordered to stand trial after a July 7, 2026, preliminary hearing. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis B. Rappe found sufficient evidence for the prosecution of Mahki Taylor, Daymonee Johnson and Jason Melara to continue.
Follow-Home Robbery Allegation
Prosecutors say the case began on September 13, 2024, when four men from Oakland traveled to the Los Angeles area to commit robberies. Authorities allege the group saw Aguilar and his wife at a restaurant in West Hollywood and followed them to their Bel-Air home.
At the residence, several masked and armed men allegedly approached the couple and demanded property. The confrontation escalated into gunfire.
Aguilar, 43, was shot in the neck and critically wounded. Mario Melara, the brother of defendant Jason Melara and an alleged participant in the robbery, was shot in the back.
Two Deaths From the Confrontation
Mario Melara was taken to a hospital and died. Aguilar survived initially but remained hospitalized for roughly three months before dying on December 21, 2024.
Aguilar founded Self Made Training Facility and had developed a substantial following around his fitness business and personal story. His death changed the prosecution and resulted in murder allegations tied to the attempted robbery.
Prosecution Theory
Prosecutors allege Taylor, Johnson and Jason Melara were part of the armed robbery crew and can be held criminally responsible for both deaths.
The theory concerning Mario Melara’s death is particularly important. Evidence described at the preliminary hearing indicated that Aguilar was legally armed and may have fired the shot that hit Melara. Prosecutors nevertheless argue that the surviving defendants can be held responsible because the alleged armed robbery created the deadly confrontation.
That theory will have to be proven through the court process. Defense attorneys challenged the evidence at the preliminary hearing, including the extent to which prosecutors could establish the individual roles of the surviving defendants.
Evidence Presented at the Preliminary Hearing
Detective testimony described surveillance evidence showing a gray Acura following Aguilar and his wife toward their home. Investigators also relied on statements attributed to Taylor after his arrest.
According to testimony reported by the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle, Taylor allegedly told an undercover jailhouse operative that he shot Aguilar after Aguilar fired at Mario Melara. The detective also testified that Taylor discussed using an unregistered firearm.
Those statements and the surveillance evidence were among the pieces of evidence considered during the preliminary hearing. The judge’s decision means the prosecution presented enough evidence for the case to proceed, not that the defendants have been found guilty.
Charges Against the Three Defendants
Taylor, Johnson and Jason Melara face murder charges tied to the deaths of Aguilar and Mario Melara, along with robbery, attempted-robbery, assault and firearm-related allegations.
The murder count involving Aguilar includes a special-circumstance allegation tied to attempted robbery. Public court reporting also described an allegation that Taylor personally and intentionally fired a weapon.
The defendants are additionally accused in connection with another robbery the day before Aguilar was shot, involving jewelry taken from another victim.
Judge Orders Case to Trial
On July 7, Judge Rappe ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence at the preliminary hearing for Taylor, Johnson and Jason Melara to stand trial.
The three remained jailed without bail in the reporting reviewed for this update. They had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Reports listed a July 22 arraignment date after the preliminary-hearing ruling, but the current review did not locate a reliable case-specific source establishing the outcome of that scheduled appearance. It is therefore not treated as a completed substantive development here.
The Preliminary Hearing Connected Two Deaths to One Robbery Attempt
The July preliminary hearing gave the public a more complete account of why prosecutors are pursuing murder charges for both Aguilar and Mario Melara. Aguilar was the robbery target and was shot in the neck. Melara was allegedly one of the four men involved in the attempted robbery and was fatally shot during the confrontation. Prosecutors argue that the surviving defendants can be held responsible for a death caused during the commission of the alleged robbery even though evidence indicated Aguilar may have fired the shot that struck Melara.
The Crew Was Accused of an Earlier Robbery in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times reporting on the hearing said prosecutors alleged the Oakland group had traveled roughly 500 miles to Southern California for the purpose of committing robberies. The state presented evidence that the group had already robbed another victim of jewelry the day before Aguilar was followed from a West Hollywood restaurant to his Bel-Air home. That alleged earlier robbery is part of the prosecution’s effort to show a coordinated robbery trip rather than a chance encounter with Aguilar.
What Happened After the Shooting
Aguilar survived the September 13, 2024 shooting but remained hospitalized for about three months before dying on December 21. The fourth alleged participant, Mario Melara, died shortly after the confrontation. Taylor, Johnson and Jason Melara were arrested and charged in 2024, and the July 7, 2026 preliminary-hearing ruling moved the prosecution toward trial. Later reporting said the three remained held without bail and that an arraignment was expected later in July, but the current review did not locate a reliable source establishing a newer completed disposition. The July 7 order to stand trial therefore remains the latest verified substantive court outcome used for this update.
What This Update Clarifies
The existing WordPress URL is a leftover slug from an unrelated article, but the post itself now concerns the Miguel Aguilar case. This content update corrects the article body and metadata while intentionally leaving the slug unchanged so an unplanned URL change does not create a broken link. The slug should be repaired later with a deliberate redirect.
The article also separates the two deaths in the case. Aguilar died months after being shot during the alleged robbery, while alleged participant Mario Melara died after being shot during the same confrontation. Prosecutors are pursuing murder counts tied to both deaths under their theory that the attempted armed robbery created the fatal encounter.
Case Chronology
- September 13, 2024: Prosecutors allege the group follows Miguel Aguilar and his wife from West Hollywood to their Bel-Air home and attempts an armed robbery. Aguilar and Mario Melara are shot.
- September 2024: Mario Melara dies from his gunshot wound.
- October 2024: The three surviving defendants are arrested in Northern California.
- December 21, 2024: Aguilar dies after approximately three months of hospitalization.
- July 7, 2026: Judge Curtis B. Rappe orders Mahki Taylor, Daymonee Johnson and Jason Melara to stand trial.
Latest Verified Status
The three defendants have been ordered to stand trial and remain accused of murder, robbery and related crimes. No trial verdict or sentencing outcome was located in the sources available through August 11, 2026.
Sources
- MyNewsLA, July 7, 2026
- KTVU, July 14, 2026
- Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2026
- San Francisco Chronicle, July 13, 2026
- SFGATE, July 2026
Charges and allegations described in this article remain allegations unless established by a guilty plea, verdict, or court judgment. This article reflects case-specific public information available through August 11, 2026.
