Community Corner
Hollywood Man's Conviction Upheld in Wife's Killing and Arson
The man was arrested in 2007 and is serving a 23-year-to-life prison sentence.
A Hollywood man convicted of murdering his wife and lighting the couple's apartment on fire in 2007 had his appeal rejected in court today.
Makdon Michaelov's conviction for second-degree murder and arson was upheld by a three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal. Michaelov is serving a 23-year-to-life prison sentence for the murder of 60-year-old Margarita Burd. A fight broke out between the couple when Burd refused to give her husband money for a trip to Israel, according to the Associated Press.
At his sentencing last year, the judge pointed out that Michaelov set three fires and pulled two smoke alarms down in their apartment building in the 1300 block of North Poinsettia Place in Hollywood, in an attempt to disguise his wife's murder, endangering adjacent apartments and buildings.
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Michaelov was arrested near the apartment building after police were called out to respond to a report of a fire on Jan. 9, 2007.
City News Service contributed to this report.