VALLEY VILLAGE, California—A man has been charged with murder following an incident in which he allegedly killed another man during a break-in at an apartment complex last month. The victim, identified as 53-year-old Menashe Hidra, was found dead in his unit, prompting police to launch a two-week search for the suspect, Erick Escamilla.
Escamilla, 27, was apprehended at a local hospital on Thursday, according to authorities. His arrest comes on the same day that Hidra’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Ashton Sherman Village apartment complex, where the tragic event took place.
The manhunt began on April 26 when police conducted a welfare check at the complex on Riverside Drive. Officers discovered Hidra’s body had been in the apartment for three days when they arrived. According to prosecutors, Escamilla had gained access to the building’s roof, using a skylight to enter a nearby vacant apartment before climbing onto Hidra’s balcony.
Earlier in the morning of April 23, just before 4 a.m., a violent confrontation occurred. Authorities allege that Escamilla fatally stabbed Hidra with a screwdriver. Witnesses reportedly heard a struggle and called 911, yet police did not enter the apartment during their initial response.
Escamilla faces multiple charges, including one count of murder and one count of residential burglary. The murder charge carries a special circumstance accusation related to the burglary, along with claims that he personally wielded the screwdriver during the attack. Additionally, he has a prior conviction that could be classified as a “strike” under California law.
Community residents expressed growing frustration regarding safety issues at the complex. Many claim they had communicated their concerns about security and transients frequently accessing the property and voiced their dissatisfaction with the management’s lack of action. Attorney Steve Vartazarian, representing Hidra’s family, asserted that prior complaints had gone unaddressed.
Vartazarian emphasizes the preventability of Hidra’s death, citing over 50 complaints made to the property management in the months leading up to the incident. “It’s the most egregious form of neglect that I’ve ever come across in all my years of practicing law,” he stated.
Hidra, originally from Tel Aviv, operated a roofing business. Following the suspect’s arrest, one of Hidra’s neighbors lamented the random nature of the tragedy and called for justice, stressing that the incident was avoidable.
Eyewitness accounts have further underscored residents’ mounting anxiety within the complex, prompting calls for increased measures to ensure tenant safety. The management for the apartment complex has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the situation or the ongoing lawsuit.