Man Charged in Bondage Club Killing

Lennox - A former employee of a Lennox bondage club was charged today with fatally shooting the business owner then setting fire to the building.

David Edward Albert, 53, of Simi Valley, was expected to be arraigned today in Inglewood.

He was also charged with a single count of animal cruelty stemming from the death of the business owner's dog, which was also found in the aftermath of the Tuesday morning fire.

According to prosecutors, Albert shot Passive Arts Studio owner John Lavine several times in the head, then started a fire at the business at 10914 S. La Cienega Blvd.

Deputies found Albert hiding in some bushes across the street from the burning business, according to Deputy Jeff Gordon of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. He was bleeding and said he'd been hit by a car, Gordon said.

His injuries were inconsistent with his story and he was arrested on suspicion of arson and murder, Gordon said.

Albert had been fired from the bondage club about a week before the killing, sheriff's Lt. Don Slawson said.

Albert was being held in lieu of $2.09 million bail. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

According to Internet advertisements, Passive Arts Studio opened in 2000 as a reiteration of a Hollywood bondage club that gained notoriety in the 1970s.

The club's web page was taken down shortly after the fire, but old versions of it stored on other Internet servers indicated it had seven "dungeons" with such names as "Marquis de Sade," "Mae West" and "Medical."

According to Passive Arts Studio's MySpace page , its 7,000-square-foot warehouse has "become the largest, most elegant and best equipped play area in the nation."

"We are a playground for adults interested in exploring their more complex sides," the club advertises on its Facebook page.