Jesus Esparza, the 41-year-old man arrested last Friday for the killing of his next-door neighbor, 64-year-old Mei Ran Hu, has been charged with murder.
Hu was a monolingual Cantonese speaker who lived at 462 Duboce Ave., an affordable housing complex with mostly Asian and Russian residents.
She was found by a staff member in a stairwell on the third floor, bleeding from a stab wound, on the morning of Friday, May 5. Police arrived at 11 a.m. and Hu received medical attention, but died at the scene.
Hu had lived at 462 Duboce since 2018, when she moved in to care for her mother, who was a resident at the time. When her mother died two months back, Hu stayed at the apartment and requested to remain on the lease.
Her nephew has started a GoFundMe to raise money for Hu’s son, who lost his father a few years ago, the GoFundMe says.
Staff and neighbors expressed shock at the slaying, but said that Esparza had serious mental health issues and that his mother regularly came to care for him.
Neighbors described him as violent, and recalled an incident in which he had kicked a neighbors’ dog.
He has been charged with murder, with a sentencing enhancement for using a deadly weapon, according to the San Francisco district attorney’s office. He has been in custody since Friday and will be arraigned next Friday, May 19, at 9 a.m.
He faces 26 years to life in prison.
I miss Miss Mei Ran Hu! She was a sweet busy woman – always a smile for you!
Her death was a tragic death – I cannot understand why this happened.
I believe her killer (alleged as this is in court) should not have had this opportunity!!
Mei Ren was a volunteer every week at the St. Francis Lutheran food bank on Church Street. We are saddened by her death and shocked by the stabbing in her own building. RIP Mei Ren. Our thoughts and prayers to the Hu family.
RIP Hu
this request is unfathomable
Hu had lived at 462 Duboce since 2018, when she moved in to care for her mother, who was a resident at the time. When her mother died two months back, Hu stayed at the apartment and ….requested to remain on the lease.
sign up for the Lottery
SF housing program is full of graft
Whatever happened to Mental Health SF?
Why is Jenkins throwing the book at someone who clearly faces psych challenges?
Because he murdered somebody? Having “challenges” is not a pass to kill whomever you want, whether or not you’re getting the help an outsider deems they deserved.
Because he is not a cop
It’s still there and doing amazing things !
https://sf.gov/information/mental-health-sf
And in the words of a Hillary Ronen campaign flyer which I keep for posterity:
“Hillary strongly negotiated with the Mayor to create Mental Health SF to guarantee homeless people medication and services”.
On second thought, I suppose Jesus Esperanza was housed so did not fall under this amazing guarantee.