Torture-Murder Follows Plot|Asbestos Evac: Venice Top Stories

VENICE-MAR VISTA, CA – Here are the top stories from Venice and around West LA this week:

Writer Tortured And Murdered Girlfriend, Copying His Own Plotline: He was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in their West Hollywood condo just three weeks after she gave birth to their daughter.

Beverly Hills Hotel May Be Crucial Evidence In Suit Against Trump: Former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos is suing the president, alleging physical harassment and defamation.

Middle School Student Named Finalist In Young Scientist Challenge: Theodore Jiang created a smartphone case that harvests energy from finger taps on the screen to charge the phone’s battery.

Artist Honors Anthony Bourdain With New Santa Monica Mural: The 13-foot-tall mural is painted on the side of Santa Monica's new Gramercy bar on 25th Street and Wilshire Boulevard.

Asbestos Contamination Forces Westside Apartment Evacuation: At least 15 residents of a West Los Angeles apartment building had to be decontaminated and relocated because of asbestos exposure.

Beverly Hills Doctor Sentenced For Workers' Comp Fraud: A Beverly Hills radiologist was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for partaking in a huge fraud scheme.

Actor Loses Nose Job Malpractice Suit Against Dermatologist: The actor alleges the Beverly Hills dermatologist left him with a permanent scar that hurt his Hollywood career opportunities.

Cops Identify Man Who Fell Out Of West Hollywood Apartment
Investigators are uncertain if the man's death was a suicide, homicide or accidental.

Man Acquitted Of Murder & Arson Charges From Deadly WeHo Fire: After spending more than three years behind bars, a man was acquitted on charges of starting a fire in West Hollywood that left one dead.

Family To Appeal For Clues Into Man's Death In West Hollywood: The 65-year-old was found lying in the street after an argument with another man.

Bowling Pass Will Keep Westside Kids Busy All Summer Long: Bowlero Corp. is now offering Summer Games Passes for bowling, ranging from $9.95 to $58.95.

New Restaurant Pizza Cowboys Opens In Culver City: The restaurant offers a variety of pizzas like classic pepperoni & pesto with seasonal black truffle, along with salads, pastas & dessert.

West Hollywood Named 'Emerging Summer Destination': West Hollywood is growing in popularity – bookings in the city are up a whopping 76 percent compared to last year.

Los Angeles County News

Watch: 4 Baby Mountain Lions Found Near Santa Monica Mountains
This is the first kitten den researchers have documented in the Simi Hills, between the 101 and 118 Freeways.

County To Build Free Boarding School Devoted to Transportation
Los Angeles County plans to open a free boarding school devoted to the study of all things transportation related.

Southland Republicans Targeted With Family Separation Protests
As protests erupted across the Southland over the Trump administration's separations of children and parents, Republicans faced heat.

Ivanka Trump Stumps For The GOP In Southern California
Ivanka Trump fundraises for Republicans in the region today as Democrats call her out on the President's immigrant family separations.

German President Reads Hitler Letter At Museum Of Tolerance
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier became the first German official to read Hitler's letter calling for the "removal of Jews."

100 Young Children Separated From Parents At Border Arrive In LA
About 100 young immigrant children taken from their parents at the border, are now in LA detention centers and foster homes.

Women, Minorities Underrepresented In Directors' Chair: Analysis
The annual study examined 651 feature films released theatrically in 2017, including films that earned less than $250,000.

Watch: Actress Mary McCormack & Husband's Tesla Catches Fire
The actress said the car burst into flames "out of the blue" while her husband, director Michael Morris, was driving in West Hollywood.

2 Hurt In LAX Crash, Shutting Down Terminal 5 Departures
Expect delays at LAX where lower level Terminal 5 departure lanes were shut down after because of a major-injury crash.

Chubbs, The Internet's Beloved Fat Cat, Gets Adopted
When Yvette Viola lost her own tubby kitty, she didn't think she was ready for another. Then she saw Chubbs.

LA Home Prices Surge Past New Record
The median price of a single-family home in Los Angeles County was up 9.1 percent last month, compared to the year before.

Presley Family Fortune Squandered, Lisa Marie Alleges
The King's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley accuses her former business manager of paring the $100 million Presley estate down to five figures.

Three Angelenos To Compete On 'Big Brother'
A 24-year-old life coach from Encino, a West Hollywood dancer and a fitness model from Playa Vista will compete on "Big Brother."

Looking to buy a new home, or just want to peek at the houses on the market near you?

Ronald Reagan's Hollywood Heyday Mansion Hits Holmby Hills Market
Ronald Reagan's one-time Holmby Hills mansion designed by Paul Williams could be yours.

7-Bedroom 'Fixer' In Santa Monica Might Actually Be A Good Deal

For only $1,550,000, this two-story home could transform into a dream home or be an excellent investment opportunity with renters.

Sweet Mountain Getaway Just Two Hours Away From Malibu

This adorable cottage has a fresh set of paint, lots of kitchen storage, and a fireplace in the living room for cold winter nights.

Main image via Patch