Man Becomes Serial Killer's Fourth Victim: Police

LOS ANGELES, CA — A homeless man bludgeoned in his sleep in Santa Monica last month became the fourth victim of a suspected serial killer when he succumbed to injuries suffered in the attack, police announced Wednesday.

The man, whose name has been withheld pending notification to his relatives, was beaten Sept. 24 while sleeping near Seventh Street and Broadway in Santa Monica, died Sunday night, said Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez.

Police suspect Ramon Escobar, 47, killed the man, the latest victim in a spate of deadly attacks across Los Angeles and Santa Monica. According to police, Escobar killed four homeless men, beating them in their sleep while robbing them. Police caught up with Escobar in a manhunt shortly after the Sept. 24 attack in Santa Monica. He is being held without bail while awaiting arraignment Nov. 8 on three counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder and four counts of second-degree robbery, along with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder during a robbery. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty against him. They said they will add another count of murder in connection with the latest fatality.

Escobar, a native of El Salvador, was deported to his homeland six times between 1997 and 2011, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of the Harris County Sheriff's Department