No charges in death of 7-Eleven worker after Hollywood store fight
ArchiveFirst published July 4, 2025. It may not reflect later developments.
Jessica McLaughlin, a 24-year-old 7-Eleven employee, died after a fight with a manager inside a Hollywood store in June 2025. Months later, Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges, a decision her family has called flawed.
The fight inside the store
The confrontation took place at about 2:10 p.m. on June 24, 2025, at a 7-Eleven in the 5700 block of Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, “two women became involved in a verbal dispute inside the business that escalated into a physical confrontation.”
McLaughlin was found unconscious and taken to a hospital in critical condition. Her father, Clancey McLaughlin, told CBS Los Angeles that the manager hit his daughter and dragged her by the hair. Police said they had video of the incident but did not release it.
Her death and the investigation
McLaughlin did not recover. Her family said she was taken off life support, and she died in the hospital. Reports differ on the exact date: CBS Los Angeles reported on July 2 that she had died that morning, while later reporting by FOX 11, citing prosecutors’ documents, gave the date as June 28.
The LAPD opened a homicide investigation. 7-Eleven said in a statement: “Our hearts are with those impacted during this difficult time. The suspect has been terminated, and we continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement in their investigation.” Her brother, Sean, set up a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs, the Los Angeles Times reported.
What the coroner found
The Los Angeles County medical examiner listed McLaughlin’s cause of death as anoxic encephalopathy, a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen, due to cardiopulmonary arrest following resuscitation and an exacerbation of asthma, NBC Los Angeles reported. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. The examiner found no fatal traumatic injuries.
Prosecutors decline to file charges
In early December 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced it would not charge the manager. According to CBS Los Angeles and FOX 11, prosecutors said the fight lasted less than a minute, was captured on video, involved a second employee and was “mutual.”
In explaining the decision, the office drew a distinction between a medical finding and a criminal case. “A homicide can be lawful or unlawful,” prosecutors wrote, concluding that “the evidence is insufficient to prove the homicide was unlawful.”
An attorney for McLaughlin’s family called it a “flawed decision” and said the family planned to pursue their rights in court against the woman involved and against 7-Eleven. Because she was not charged with a crime, we are not naming the manager.
Why it matters: homicide is not always a crime
The case shows a gap that often confuses the public. When a medical examiner rules a death a homicide, it means the death resulted from the actions of another person. It is not a legal finding that a crime took place. Prosecutors must then decide whether they can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the person acted unlawfully, for example without a valid claim of self-defense or in a way that meets the elements of manslaughter.
In McLaughlin’s case, the coroner found no fatal injuries and pointed to a lack of oxygen and an asthma flare-up, while prosecutors described the brief fight as mutual. Those findings made a criminal case difficult, even though the medical examiner classified the death as a homicide.
The family’s planned legal action could still bring more facts to light. A civil lawsuit is decided on a lower standard of proof than a criminal prosecution, and it can examine questions a criminal court would not, such as an employer’s responsibility for what happens between staff at work.
Sources
- Los Angeles Times – July 1, 2025
- CBS Los Angeles (family statement) – July 2, 2025
- NBC Los Angeles (cause of death) – 2025
- CBS Los Angeles (DA decision) – December 2025
- FOX 11 Los Angeles – December 2025
