Following the unsettling homicide at a Valley Village apartment complex, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested Erick Escamilla, 27, in connection with the death of 53-year-old Menashe "Manny" Hidra. According to NBC Los Angeles, Escamilla was apprehended at a local hospital on Thursday while receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed condition. Authorities reported that Escamilla allegedly gained unlawful entry to Hidra's apartment, leading to a physical dispute that resulted in Hidra’s death.
Details released by the LAPD, as reported by ABC7, indicate that Escamilla is accused of entering through a skylight in an adjacent vacant apartment and traversing the balconies to break into Hidra's fifth-floor apartment. Police have managed to quickly link Escamilla to the crime. However, this incident has done little to assuage the fears of residents in the complex, who had previously expressed security concerns to property management.
Local residents have voiced their anxieties about the complex's security measures. "The biggest problem is Essex. They failed us. They failed manny. They failed Manny’s family," Kaci Harabedian, a neighbor of Hidra, told NBC Los Angeles. Other tenants, echoing the sentiment, pointed to multiple complaints to management about unlocked doors and broken gates going unaddressed. The aftermath of the arrest has seen the implementation of security patrols, yet for some residents like Haifa Nesheiwat, who was the first person Hidra ensured was safe when she moved in, the measures are considered too late, leading her to decide to move out as of today.
As the LAPD and FBI continue their investigation, released footage from social media has depicted a hooded man using a screwdriver to attempt entry into multiple units. "Just a few days before the incident my mom said 'lock your balcony door' and I laughed at her," Nesheiwat recounted to ABC7. "Tell me why a few days later I find out Manny is murdered - through the balcony door. This could have been me."
The LAPD has dispelled rumors of a serial killer in the North Hollywood area, as reported by CBS News, clarifying that this incident was isolated. They continue to urge anyone with further information regarding the case to contact the Operation Valley Bureau at 818-374-9550 or call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.
