A 27-year-old man arrested for the murder of a volleyball villager, entered the victim’s apartment through a vacant unit in a residential complex in San Fernando Valley, police said Friday.
Eric Escamilla, 27, was arrested at a hospital Thursday in connection with the murder of 53-year-old Menache Hydra, also known as Manny. Details about why Escamilla was hospitalized were not immediately available.
The murder occurred around 3am on April 23, but Hydra’s body was not found until April 26 at 2:30pm when police conducted a welfare check in their apartment in the 12600 block of Riverside Drive. LAPD officials, who originally responded to reports of the fight inside Hydra’s fifth-floor apartment on April 23, did not find the body as they were not responding to knocking on the door and were unable to enter the apartment.
“I would like to acknowledge that there are questions surrounding the initial police response to the incident,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at a press conference Friday. “The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of these circumstances and has launched an internal management investigation to investigate all aspects of it. As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide any comments or details at this time.”
Escamilla somehow accessed the roof of the apartment and used the skylight to enter the apartment next to Hydra’s unit. Escamilla then climbed from the balcony of the vacant unit to what was attached to Hydra’s apartment, entering, leading to a conflict.
The man broke into the apartment and killed an internal resident following a violent struggle, police said. The video aired in Los Angeles at 6am on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
Escamilla was charged with murder and home robbery on Thursday. The murder charge includes allegations of special circumstances of the murder during the Robbery Commission’s committee, including allegations that he personally used a driver when attacking the victim and had previously struck for a home robbery.
It was unclear how long Escamilla was hospitalized. Escamilla remained hospitalized as of Friday, according to LAPD murder Lt. Col. Guy Golan.
“I cannot comment specifically on his condition, but he is currently undergoing treatment,” Golan said. “We are currently absentees booking Escamilla. If deemed appropriate by the healthcare worker, he will be discharged from the hospital and later presented for arrest.”
Anyone with information about the murder was urged to call the Valley Bureau murder detective at 818-374-9550. Calls during non-business hours must be made at 877-527-3247. Scammers who like to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.
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