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Months before a Saturday Night Live writer’s sister disappeared, court records showed a pattern of alleged stalking, threats, and domestic violence involving two suspects now charged with her death and disappearance.
Last month, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Christina Downer’s boyfriend, Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, with first-degree murder. Brandon’s former girlfriend, Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, is facing two felony counts of being an accessory after the fact.
Investigators believe Brandon killed Downer, 38, on or around Sept. 19, 2025. Her remains have not been located.
Before Downer disappeared, she and Brandon sought separate restraining orders against Markowski, accusing her, in part, of stalking and blackmail, court records showed. Both cases were dismissed after Downer and Brandon failed to appear in court, according to court documents obtained by Los Angeles Magazine.
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Downer’s disappearance and presumed death
Authorities learned of Downer’s disappearance in December 2025, when her ex-husband reported her missing, saying he had not heard from her in months.
Downer’s brother, Saturday Night Live writer Jimmy Fowlie, began posting public pleas on Instagram that same month, asking for information about his sister’s whereabouts.
Brandon, who shared an apartment with Downer in Koreatown, told police that she had moved out months prior, leaving her belongings behind, including her car and beloved miniature pinscher named Rex.
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The LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division took over the investigation after Downer’s cellphone washed ashore at Santa Monica Beach.
Investigators believe Brandon and Markowski used Downer’s phone to send messages, fabricating a story that she voluntarily disappeared, according to court documents.
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“The individual(s) in possession of her phone used it to hide the fact she was gone, to ask for money, and to create a false narrative that she was going ‘off the grid,’” Fowlie wrote on Instagram in April.
“I am sharing this because I believe that whoever is responsible is hoping to erase her in every way possible. I want to amplify her story in the only way I know how. And express that she was a beautiful person who matters in this world, especially to me.”
Fowlie did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Restraining orders, prior domestic violence allegations
In a September 2024 restraining order petition obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Downer accused Markowski of terrorizing her since December 2023.
Markowski harassed Downer by threatening to break into her home, beat her up, and by calling her racial slurs, court documents stated. She also allegedly stole Downer’s cat and a storage device containing intimate videos, which she allegedly used to blackmail Downer.
“She calls us n—, threatens to beat me up, stole my spare key and copied it, threatens to break into my home,” Downer claimed in her request.
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In July 2025, Brandon filed a domestic violence restraining order request against Markowski, alleging she harassed him, targeted his vehicle and attempted to interfere with Downer’s job, according to ABC7’s court records review.
Judges dismissed both cases after Downer and Brandon failed to appear in court.
In September 2025, Brandon sought another protective order against Markowski, accusing her of hitting and kicking him when he tried to leave. He said she also threatened to shoot him in the head for having a relationship with Downer.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected the request and set a Sept. 23, 2025, hearing.
Alyce LaViolette, a licensed marriage and family therapist and domestic violence specialist not affiliated with the case, explained that courts usually examine specific details of each allegation rather than the number of complaints filed before deciding if a case proceeds. Court backlogs and limited domestic violence training can make it more difficult to assess a full abuse history, she said.
On Sept. 18, 2025, however, Brandon withdrew the request. Investigators believe Downer died within a day of Brandon withdrawing the request.
Previous accusations
The latest criminal complaint detailed allegations of domestic violence carried out by Brandon against a different woman. Brandon allegedly used scissors during one of the assaults, according to documents obtained by Los Angeles Magazine.
He is now charged with two felony counts of injuring a cohabitant in connection with the alleged 2022 assaults.
In a separate April 2022 court case, a woman filed a civil harassment restraining order petition against Markowski in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The judge dismissed the case in June 2022 for “lack of prosecution.”
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Greg Risling, an executive assistant at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment on an open case, directing Fox News Digital to a previous release.
Markowski’s attorney, Arvand Naderi, also declined to comment on a pending case.
Risling said Brandon is being represented by the Alternate Public Defender’s Office. The office was not immediately available for comment.
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Both defendants are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, with bail set at $2 million each.
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Anyone with information about Downer’s case is urged to contact LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division at 213-486-6850.
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Warning signs
Despite the history of accusations between Downer, Brandon and Markowski, LaViolette told Fox News Digital that judges do not always recognize abuse even when warning signs emerge before domestic homicides.
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“There are judges that are very well versed in domestic violence and some who are not,” LaViolette said.
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“Victims of DV don’t usually leave and stay gone forever at the first incident,” LaViolette said. “Often it takes victims (particularly female victims) multiple incidents before they leave.”
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LaViolette cautioned that protective orders alone do not establish levels of danger.
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“Precursors like strangling, isolation, threats to kill while holding a weapon, etc. should trigger a high-risk situation,” she said. “But remember, the most high-risk perpetrators may not be dissuaded by a protective order.”
