Emmy-winning producer found guilty of trying to kill roommate over Oscars joke
An Emmy-winning producer was convicted Thursday of trying to kill a roommate who laughed at him when he said he wanted to win Oscars, authorities said.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gregory Dohi found Andre Bautista, known as Andre Bauth, guilty of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in the Sept. 8, 2015, stabbing, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
The 38-year-old Colombian actor and producer is scheduled to be sentenced March 22 in a Van Nuys courtroom. He faces 13 years in state prison.
Authorities said laughter triggered the violent attack at the Studio City home where Bautista rented out rooms to the victim and others.
According to prosecutors, Bautista told his roommate that he would win five Oscars someday. The roommate laughed after Bautista’s bold declaration.
That’s when, Los Angeles police said, Bautista grabbed a kitchen knife from inside the home in the 3100 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and stabbed his roommate in the chest.
Bautista fled after the attack.
The roommate, who identified himself as Clayton Haymes to KCBS-TV, said, “when he said ‘five Oscars,’ we all kind of laughed a little bit, and he got really upset.”
Los Angeles police issued a warrant for Bautista’s arrest on Sept. 10, 2015. He surrendered a week later at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence indicating Bautista had written and starred in an independent movie with a plot twist similar to the charges he was facing.
The film portrayed a landlord who killed his tenants, prosecutors said.
Bautista won a daytime Emmy in 2015 as a producer for the online soap opera “The Bay.”
Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA
UPDATES:
5:15 p.m.: This article was updated with new details from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, saying Bautista was found guilty by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.
This article was originally published at 4:20 p.m.
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