Suspect charged with murder for man's death after break-in at Valley Village apartment complex
A man has been arrested in connection with a homicide at a Valley Village apartment complex that has had neighbors on edge for more than a week.
The victim was found on April 26 at the complex located in the 12600 block of Riverside Drive, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. It was there that officers found 53-year-old Menashe Hidra, known to others as Manny, dead.
Officers were first called to the scene just before 4 a.m. on April 23 for reports of an assault with a deadly weapon at the same unit where Hidra lived. They knocked and attempted to enter the apartment, but no one answered and they left the area until they were called back for a welfare check days later.
County prosecutors say that Hidra was killed when he was stabbed with a screwdriver during a break-in the morning of April 23.
Neighbors say that the complex has been plagued by people climbing onto their roofs in recent months, something that they believe allowed the suspect to break into the apartment next to Hidra's via skylight, where he then jumped onto the victim's balcony.
Police confirmed this on Thursday when they announced the suspect's arrest.
"The suspect accessed the victim's residence by entering through a skylight in an adjacent vacant apartment and traversing the balconies," LAPD's release said. "A physical altercation occurred between the suspect and the victim, which ultimately resulted in the victim's death."
The suspect has been identified as Erick Escamilla, a 27-year-old man. He was taken into custody by FBI and LAPD investigators after he was located at a local hospital where he is receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed reason.
Police said Escamilla lives part-time with his mother on the west side of the Valley.
"I wouldn't say he's experiencing homelessness. He does live off and on with his mother over on the west side. He periodically goes home and showers, eats and then he goes back out on the streets," LAPD Lieutenant Guy Golan said during a press conference on Friday.
Escamilla was charged with one count of murder with a special circumstances allegation that the murder was committed during a burglary. He also faces one count of first-degree residential burglary, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office.
"No one should have to endure the terror of someone breaking into their home, where people feel the safest and being brutally murdered," District Attorney Hochman said in a statement. "Crimes like this shake our collective sense of security. We will seek justice for the victim's family and ensure accountability for the person responsible for this vicious crime."
If convicted as charged, Escamilla faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.
Video posted on social media showed a hooded man as he tried to gain entry into multiple units at the apartment complex, and police released a photo of the man they believed to be the suspect in the days after the homicide occurred.
Prior to news of the man's arrest, the incident drew the attention of many across Los Angeles County. It has sparked rumors of a serial killer operating in the North Hollywood area, which police say is not true.
As the investigation continues, police ask anyone who knows more to contact them at (818) 374-9550.
