The 64-year-old woman killed on May 5 at her apartment building near Duboce Park has been identified as Mei Ran Hu, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Hu was a monolingual Asian resident who previously cared for her mother on-site, neighbors and staff at her complex said.
Police arrested and booked Jesus Esparza into San Francisco County Jail on charges of murder, elder abuse, and resisting arrest on Friday, May 5. Esparza and Hu were next-door neighbors who lived on the third floor of her affordable-housing complex.
A staff member found Hu unresponsive in the third-floor north stairwell at 462 Duboce Apartments. She was bloody and suffering from a stab wound. Polive arrived at the complex at 11 a.m., according to the police report. Despite first responders’ attempts to provide Hu medical aid, she died at the scene.
Police officers “quickly obtained suspect information,” the report said, and arrested Esparza. The San Francisco Police Homicide Detail is continuing its investigation and have requested camera footage.
It’s unclear exactly what happened before Esparza allegedly stabbed Hu, staff said. However, staff and neighbors said Esparza experienced serious mental health issues, and relied on the care of his mother, who visited every one or two days and did his laundry. She wasn’t present on May 5.
“If the mom was here, I don’t think that would happen,” said someone familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity.
At present, the 462 Duboce management is searching for emergency contacts for Hu. She moved into the complex in 2018 as a live-in caregiver for her mother, Mei Lan Situ. After Situ died a few months ago, Hu remained in the apartment, and requested taking over the lease. Hu spoke little English, as did many residents at the complex.
Neighbors and 462 residents recall seeing the coroner’s van Friday morning followed by police arresting Esparza in his “drawers” on the ground floor hallway.
“I don’t know the dude, but I’ve seen him a lot,” said a 462 resident, who requested anonymity. “I know he got mental health issues. Like, serious.”
The resident described the 41-year-old as a “violent person,” and referred to one incident a few months ago where another tenant’s dog came up to Esparza, “tail wagging, happy, and he kicked the dog violently.” Esparza only had one incident previously, someone familiar with the tenant said, though they couldn’t remember the details.
The resident said many of those at the complex are seniors, and many monolingual and Asian or Russian. “Most of them are frail. Man, that’s fucked up.”
Esparza had lived in the senior affordable housing complex since 2017, and staff believed he lived with his mother previously. Not everyone had a view of Esparza as volatile. He “was a lamb,” said one person familiar with the tenant. He couldn’t express himself very well, and spoke little, “one or two [words] at a time. ‘Morning.’ ‘Going home.’ Or ‘going out.’”
It was clear to the staff that Esparza had a “mental disability,” the person said. Hu hadn’t made any complaints about Esparza to staff.
“Very, very unexpected,” the person who knew Esparza said. “I didn’t think Jesus could do that.”
Another caregiver at the complex said he had seen Esparza just last week “slumped against a tree.” Esparza always looked “out of it,” and responded using “grunts,” the caregiver said. “It’s sad.”
Neighbors and staff at the 42-unit affordable housing complex remain shaken by the killing. “Residents are traumatized,” the person who knew Esparza said. “We got close. Everyone knew everyone.”
While an arrest has been made, this remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD 24-hour Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
This is so wrong to put seniors with mental disabilities people in the same bicycling, as seniors barely could protect themselves.
Thanks for reporting on this, I discovered this via reddit via the Guardian, google Ms. Hu’s name and you’re the only local paper that seems to have covered this.
Not the Chron, not the Examiner, not the Standard.
Thanks for reporting on this sad, senseless and tragic death
Really awesome to have the limited supply of subsidized homes being monopolized by inheritors instead of being fairly redistributed to the community, and in this case with no consideration of whether the inheritor is a good fit for the building and its resources.
Monopolized by inheritors?
Implying the victim was responsible for her own death?
Ms. Hu was the live-in caretaker for her mother until recently. There is a difference between a resident and tenant. Are you saying a live-in caretaker should vacate her residence the same day or week their client dies?
You don’t know what was considered yet you blame the victim!
The anonymous employee referring to the killer as a “lamb” would have you believe there were no complaints or concerns from tenants to management.
Thank you L M. Jake T, really? That’s what you took from this article? An elderly Asian woman was stabbed and that is your reaction?
I will clarify one bit of ambiguity in my comment: I was implying the alleged suspect wasn’t a good fit for the building. Presumably they ended up in it at age 41 due to some exceptions made to the senior residence facility’s guidelines. I was not saying the victim put themselves into a dangerous situation. Obviously I don’t think anyone living in a senior housing community should feel endangered by other residents.
Hey. I live in the building and my dear neighbor was a great resident. And if she qualified (pretty sure she did) why should she lose her housing because of the death of her mother? They were a family household and especially because she qualified age-wise she should have been considered. Now Jesus was here at a younger age because he qualified as disabled. Disabilities come in all sorts of ways. His was obviously mental and emotional problems. Personally I hope he is not allowed back in our building.