Boyfriend Charged With Murder Of 'SNL' Writer's Sister In LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — The boyfriend of a former "Saturday Night Live" writer's sister was charged with murder Monday, nearly a year after the 38-year-old woman disappeared in Los Angeles.

Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, was charged with one count of murder in the death of Christina Downer, whose brother is actor and "SNL" writer Jimmy Fowlie. Prosecutors allege that the killing occurred in September 2025, according to a criminal complaint.

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Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, who was arrested alongside Brandon last week, was charged with one felony count of being an accessory after the fact, according to court records.

Markowski is Brandon's girlfriend and she's accused of helping him dispose of Downer's body, which has not been found, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Brandon also faces two felony domestic violence counts involving a separate alleged victim in 2022. The criminal complaint lists prior convictions for robbery and attempted robbery in 2008 and criminal threats in 2015.

Both defendants were scheduled to be arraigned Monday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

The charges come days after the Los Angeles Police Department announced on Friday that detectives had arrested Brandon and Markowski on suspicion of murder.

Downer was reported missing Dec. 18, 2025, after her ex-husband requested a welfare check because he had not heard from her for an extended period of time, according to the LAPD.

Police said Brandon, who was Downer's boyfriend, claimed at the time she had moved out several months earlier, leaving behind all her belongings, including her vehicle and dog.

Detectives with the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division took over the investigation after Downer's cellphone washed ashore on Santa Monica Beach, police said.

Investigators ultimately identified Brandon and Markowski as suspects in Downer's killing and claim they took efforts to dispose of her body and conceal their involvement, according to the LAPD.

Brandon was arrested Thursday in the 6000 block of Garvanza Avenue in Highland Park, while Markowski was arrested in the 6000 block of Tampa Avenue in Tarzana. Both were initially booked on suspicion of murder, with bail set at $2 million each, police said.

The arrests followed a search last month at an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree as part of the investigation into Downer's disappearance, NBC Los Angeles reported. Police have not publicly disclosed what led investigators to the property or whether any evidence was recovered.

Downer's disappearance drew widespread attention after Fowlie appealed for help finding his sister last December. Several "SNL" cast members, including Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman, shared his social media post.

In April, Fowlie said his family had been informed by police that Downer was "no longer alive."

He also claimed someone had gained access to his sister's phone and social media accounts before her disappearance and used them to solicit money and create the impression that she had voluntarily gone missing.

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City News Service contributed to this report.