Murder victim in Hollywood may have been robbed
By Edwin Folven, 7/12/2012
A 43-year-old man whose body was found inside his apartment in Hollywood on July 9 may have been the victim of a robbery, according to Los Angeles Police Department investigators.
A maintenance worker found the victim around 4:30 p.m. in an apartment in the 5700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. The victim’s name was not being released as of Wednesday pending notification of next of kin, according to Det. Mark Morgan, with the LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide Unit.
Morgan said neighbors reported hearing a loud “popping” noise sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. on July 7, but thought it was fireworks and did not report the incident to police. Morgan said the preliminary theory is someone may have knocked on the victim’s door and then shot him, because there were signs of a struggle near the front door. The detective added that it was unknown if anything was stolen.
Investigators believe other residents may have heard or seen the suspect running down a hallway in the building, and are asking anyone with information to contact detectives with the West Bureau Homicide Unit at (213)382-9470. During weekends and off-hours, call the LAPD’s 24-hour hotline at (877)LAPD247.
