LAPD Detective Sharon Kim still carries the memory of the 81-year-old woman whose brutal 2022 Woodland Hills home invasion she helped crack. The killing of the elderly resident, who was found stabbed, strangled and partially burned, lingered with Kim until a later arrest in a 2025 Valley Village killing finally looped back to the long-stalled case.
The crime scene that wouldn't let go
On Aug. 2, 2022, investigators discovered Ok Ja Kim inside her Martha Street home in Woodland Hills. Police said she had been stabbed, strangled and partially burned, which left detectives with very little intact DNA to work with. The brutality of the attack, combined with the thin trail of evidence, kept the case unsolved for years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Detective Kim's long hunt
Kim, a UCLA graduate who worked her way up to homicide squad supervisor, said the investigation "sat with me very heavy" and that she still thinks about the victim every day. As detailed by NBC Los Angeles, the unsolved killing became a deeply personal mission for Kim and her team.
How a Valley Village arrest reopened the case
The break came in April 2025, when a suspect was detained after a break-in at an apartment complex on Riverside Drive in Valley Village, the Los Angeles Police Department said. In May 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office filed murder charges in the Valley Village case and named the defendant in a criminal complaint, the office said.
Surveillance tip, comparison and a confession
Back in 2022, detectives had received home-security video from a neighbor that showed a man moving past hallway cameras near the victim's house. When new surveillance from the Valley Village arrest surfaced, Detective Kim recognized the suspect's gait and mannerisms. After comparing the old and new clips, investigators say she obtained a confession from Erick Escamilla that linked him to the 2022 killing, as reported by NBC Los Angeles.
Legal status and next steps
Prosecutors amended the case in June 2025 to add the Woodland Hills slaying to the charges against Escamilla, according to the Los Angeles Times. The District Attorney's office has said the defendant faces either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, and that the investigation remains active with Valley Bureau Homicide and the DA's Major Crimes division, per the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
The arrest, and the eventual match between past and present video, highlight how community tips and dogged detectives can breathe life into cold cases. Anyone with information is asked to contact Valley Bureau Homicide at 818-374-9550 or submit a tip through the Los Angeles Police Department.
