Valley Village murder suspect linked to unsolved murder of elderly woman from 2022
Valley Village murder suspect tied to 2022 murder
Erick Escamilla, the man accused of killing a man inside his Valley Village apartment, is tied to at least two other violent crimes, including another murder, police say.
LOS ANGELES - The suspect who was arrested for the murder of a man inside his Valley Village apartment has now been tied to a murder committed in 2022.
What we know:
Erick Escamilla, 27 was arrested in early May for the murder of 53-year-old Menashe "Manny" Hidra who was killed on April 23 during a burglary in his apartment, the Ashton Sherman Village.
A felony complaint detailed Escamilla's criminal history-- which connected him to a murder on August 2, 2022, and an attempted murder on August 23, 2022.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Valley Village apartment murder suspect arrested after days-long search
- Family of man murdered in Valley Village apartment suing landlords for negligent management
2022 crimes committed
According to the complaint, on August 2, 2022 Escamilla burglarized the Woodland Hills home of 81-year-old Ok Ja Kim while armed with a sharp object. Kim was killed, and her home was set on fire.
Kim's body was found that same day after her family had ordered a welfare check when she didn't show up for a family function. When Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived at the house, they found Kim's semi-charred body lying on the ground, half under her bed.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: $50K reward offered for elderly woman killed, burned in Woodland Hills home invasion
At the time, LAPD investigators said they believed someone broke into Kim's home, killed her, took some of her belongings, and even tried to set her house on fire in the process. The preliminary investigation showed someone closed the door of the room where her body was found, which prevented the home and some evidence from going up in flames.
LAPD announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect… the case then went cold.
About two weeks later on August 23, Escamilla broke into the home of Juan Manuel Castro, also armed with a sharp object, and attempted to murder him.
Murder of Menashe Hidra
Fast-forward to April 23, 2025, Escamilla broke into a Valley Village apartment complex and killed an elderly man.
According to LAPD, Escamilla broke into a vacant unit in the building through a skylight on the roof. He then allegedly hopped from balcony to balcony, and entered Hidra's apartment through a sliding glass door, and killed him.
The day Hidra was killed, the police department said officers were called to the building, but didn't find any evidence of a crime, so they left. Three days later, they discovered Hidra's body during a welfare check.
Family suing building after Valley Village murder
Erick Escamilla is accused of murdering Manny Hidra in his Valley Village apartment. Now, the family is suing the apartment complex because of safety concerns.
Hidra's family has sued the management company that owns the complex, saying residents have warned management multiple times about security issues with people roaming the building.
Prior convictions
Escamilla was convicted on July 24, 2019, of first-degree burglary.
What's next:
Escamilla is facing seven felony charges, along with multiple enhancements and special circumstances that increase the penalties.
He faces two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of residential burglary, and one count of arson. He faces a sentence of life without parole or death.
The Source: Information for this story came from court documents and previous FOX 11 reports.