Michael Jace's house

This is the house where actor Michael Jace murdered his wife.

It is situated at 5445 Brynhurst Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

Jace was best known for his portrayal of officer Julien Lowe in the crime drama series The Shield, which aired between 2002 and 2008. He also appeared on shows such as Southland, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Cold Case.

His wife, April, was a track and field athlete who took part in numerous competitions, including the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships.

The couple married in 2004 and had two sons. However, by 2014, their marriage had hit the rocks, and April reportedly wanted a divorce.

On May 19th, 2014, Jace texted his wife and claimed that he had left their house.

However, instead of leaving, he grabbed a revolver and patiently waited for April and their two kids to return home.

At the time, the actor was distraught, drunk, and furious, as he believed that his wife was dating someone else.

When April entered the house with their two sons, Jace shot her in the back. He then shouted, "If you like running, then run to heaven," before shooting her twice in the legs.

After killing his wife, Jace called 911 and calmly confessed to the crime.

Although he claimed that he only intended to shoot her in the legs, the jury felt otherwise.

On May 31st, 2016, the actor was found guilty of second-degree murder. Two weeks later, he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

5445 Brynhurst Avenue

This Google Street View image at the top was taken in February 2019. The photograph at the bottom shows 5445 Brynhurst Avenue cordoned off with police tape.

The house was built in 1923. It was last sold for $720,000 in 2019.

Murder

This Google Street View image of the property was taken in May 2012—exactly two years before Michael Jace murdered his wife, April.

Zillow shows that the couple purchased it in 2005, which was shortly after they got married.

In 2011, Jace ran into financial difficulties and was forced to declare bankruptcy. He also defaulted on the mortgage. Although they listed the house for sale in December 2011, property records show that they took it off the market three months later.

Jace struggled to find regular work after his role as Julien Lowe in The Shield came to an end. By 2011, he was mostly living off residual income from his earlier work.

At the time, he had $16,000 in credit card debt and owed money on two mortgages. He also owed more than $20,000 to the government.

When his work dried up, the family was forced to downgrade their cars.

Notably, his last acting role was in 2011, which was three years before the murder took place.

Jace's ex-wife, Jennifer Bitterman, said that he was violent and temperamental during their marriage, which lasted between 1996 and 2002. Bitterman's friend also claimed that she witnessed four separate incidents in which he became violent toward his wife. On one occasion, he choked and hit Bitterman before pushing her up against a wall.