(The Center Square) – Two Israelis were found murdered in Los Angeles in just over a 12-hour period. Though it’s unclear if the two murders are related, the Jewish community is concerned, local media reported.
Los Angeles police arrested three suspects Tuesday connected to the first murder. On Wednesday, they issued a request for public assistance to find the alleged suspect in the second murder. It remains unclear if the murders are connected.
On Saturday morning, 47-year-old Israeli-American businessman Alexander Modvadze was found tortured and murdered in his Woodland Hills home.
Modvadze is believed to have been murdered around 1 a.m. on Saturday after being held captive and tortured by his assailants. Police believe he was tortured to death. He was found with a head injury and pronounced dead at the scene, the LAPD said.
Although the assailants fled the scene, by Tuesday, members of LAPD’s Marshal’s Taskforce and FBI Fugitive Task Force found them. They arrested Paata Kochyashvili, 38, Zaza Otarashvili, 46, and Besiki Khutsishvili, 52, who were each charged with murder and other crimes. They appeared in court on Tuesday; their arraignment is set for May 21. They remain in custody with $2 million bail each.
Kochyashvili was also charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary with a person present, false imprisonment by violence and dissuading a witness by force or threat, according to the charges. Otarashvili was charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary with a person present. Khutsishvili was charged with first-degree home invasion and first-degree burglary with a person present, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Some news reports have claimed the men are Georgian nationals and members of a violent Georgian transnational criminal gang, although their nationality is not mentioned in LAPD documents. No U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers have been placed with the jail, according to jail records.
Also on Saturday, roughly 13 hours later, by 2:30 p.m., LAPD officers performed a welfare check for Israeli Menashe “Manny” Hidra after family members couldn’t reach him. They found his body in his Riverside Drive apartment in Valley Village. Hidra is the brother of Deputy Commissioner Moshe Khidra, the warden of the Nitzan Prison Detention Center in Israel, the Jewish Journal reported.
On Wednesday, the LAPD issued a request for public assistance to find “the suspect responsible for the homicide.” LAPD said, “On April 26 around 2:30 pm, officers responded to a welfare check in the 12600 block of Riverside Dr. Upon arrival officers located a male victim inside his apartment deceased.”
The LAPD posted pictures of the suspect stating, “the investigation revealed the suspect unlawfully entered the victim’s apartment and a physical altercation ensued, resulting in the victim’s death. The possible suspect is described as a 30-40-year-old Hispanic male, black hair, 5’6″ to 5’9″, weighing between 180 to 200 pounds … wearing a dark colored jack, white shirt, and blue jeans.”
LAPD Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in locating the suspect responsible for a homicide. On April 26 around 2:30 pm, officers responded to a welfare check in the 12600 block of Riverside Dr. Upon arrival officers located a male victim inside his apartment deceased. pic.twitter.com/doJZmGzRBF— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) April 30, 2025
No arrests have been made in this case as of Thursday evening.
Anyone with information about either case is encouraged to contact Operation Valley Bureau at 818-374-9550; during non-business hours or weekends, 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anonymous tips can be made at http://lacrimestoppers.org.
As a result of the murders, which appear to be unrelated, “the Jewish community is on edge.” Local residents worry they “do seem like targeted attacks,” Los Angeles Magazine reported.
The murders occurred after incidents targeting Jewish people in Los Angeles increased by 153% over the year; 91% of religiously motivated hate incidents targeted the Jewish community, according to a 2023 Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations Hate Incident report.
Under former President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom, “following three years of double-digit increases, reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County drastically increased 45% from 930 to 1,350, the largest number in the history of this report,” the report states.
Reported hate crimes in 2023 surpassed the 1,031 reported in 2001 after the Islamic Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
