{"id":14161,"date":"2025-05-08T23:27:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/?p=14161"},"modified":"2025-05-08T23:27:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:27:44","slug":"man-arrested-for-alleged-murder-and-stalking-in-l-a-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/man-arrested-for-alleged-murder-and-stalking-in-l-a-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Arrested for Alleged Murder and Stalking in L.A. Building"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to the Case<\/h2>\n

Los Angeles police have apprehended the man allegedly seen on Ring doorbell cameras stalking the halls of a San Fernando Valley apartment building, then breaking into one of the units and killing the resident inside.<\/p>\n

The Arrest and Investigation<\/h2>\n

Erick Escamilla, 27, was taken into custody at a West Hills hospital, according to law enforcement authorities, the culmination of a regional manhunt following a slaying late last month in Valley Village. The killing struck fear into residents and sparked questions about the length of time it took for police to discover the victim\u2019s body. The body was found three days after neighbors reported screaming and a fight inside the unit. LAPD investigators finally caught up with Escamilla after tracking his whereabouts and narrowly missing him at least once in the last week. He was arrested Thursday evening on suspicion of murder.<\/p>\n

The Victim and the Crime Scene<\/h2>\n

Menashe Hidra\u2019s body was found April 26 inside his fifth-floor Valley Village apartment after an assailant broke into a neighboring unit, jumped from the balcony to his and attacked him, investigators said. A wall between Menashe Hidra\u2019s apartment in Valley Village and a neighboring, vacant one was stained with blood. (Richard Winton \/ Los Angeles Times) Three days before, neighbors had called 911 and reported hearing shouting and a struggle coming from the apartment. Officers responded to those calls, knocked on the door and left without finding anything. Hidra\u2019s body was discovered inside his top-floor unit at the Ashton Sherman Village complex by officers doing a welfare check after a friend became concerned. Hidra was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n

The Suspect’s Background<\/h2>\n

Prior to the latest allegations, Escamilla was facing misdemeanor charges in a February incident in the San Fernando Valley including trespass, entering a noncommercial dwelling and resisting arrest and was free on $10,000 bail. San Fernando police had previously arrested him in December. Blood was left on a stairwell door handle at the Valley Village apartment complex where Menashe Hidra was killed. (Richard Winton \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Police Response and Controversy<\/h2>\n

LAPD officials said that social media rumors of a serial killer at large in the area were wrong and that, at this point, Hidra\u2019s death has not been connected to any other killings. The LAPD has launched internal investigations into officers\u2019 responses to this killing and another slaying in Woodland Hills; in both incidents, officers did not find the victims because they did not go inside. On Tuesday, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell addressed the two incidents during a meeting of the city\u2019s civilian police commission, the department\u2019s oversight board. McDonnell acknowledged officers did not immediately enter either home and said he\u2019d opened administrative investigations in connection with their responses.<\/p>\n

Other Incidents and Arrests<\/h2>\n

The same day that Hidra\u2019s body was discovered, so was the body of Aleksandre Modebadze, who was beaten to death inside his Woodland Hills home. In that case, a woman inside the home called 911 and reported the assault, but officers who arrived knocked and left. Only upon returning later did they find Modebadze, mortally injured. The suspects in the Woodland Hills homicide have been arrested.<\/p>\n

Investigation Details<\/h2>\n

In a recording of a police dispatch call before 4 a.m. April 23, a dispatcher is heard reporting the call to officers in the field: \u201cVan Nuys units, possible ADW [assault with a deadly weapon] in progress … caller hears two males fighting and wrestling, banging and yelling.\u201d Multiple law enforcement sources say police officers responded to the scene but never entered the apartment. A day before Hidra\u2019s body was discovered, LAPD officers investigated a burglary at the vacant apartment next door. Inside, officers found a shattered skylight and dried blood, according to two sources not authorized to discuss the investigation. Investigators suspect the killer may have broken into the vacant apartment neighboring Hidra\u2019s through a skylight, then moved from the unit\u2019s balcony to his. Bloody handprints and marks were visible on the wall between Hidra\u2019s balcony and the vacant apartment when a reporter visited with residents last week. Blood was also visible on the door handle of a stairwell exit, where the assailant was seen fleeing the building in a video released by police.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The arrest of Erick Escamilla brings some closure to the community, but the incident raises serious questions about the response time and actions of the police department in such critical situations. The internal investigations launched by the LAPD are crucial in addressing these concerns and ensuring that such lapses do not occur in the future.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n