Man found dead with head trauma in Hollywood Hills home of Canadian TV personality
Detectives were investigating the death of a man who was found inside a Hollywood Hills home early Friday morning, Sept. 23, 2016.
Los Angeles police have identified a man found dead early Friday inside a Hollywood Hills home as Richard Hong.
Hong, 41, was apparently staying in the residence, which was rented to Canadian TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos.
The coroner’s office described the cause of death as head trauma.
Police had received a call about 2:15 a.m. about a burglary in progress in the 6700 block of Milner Road, said Officer Jenny Houser, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
When officers arrived, they found a man dead at the scene, she said.
Witnesses told detectives the assailant, who was described as a man wearing a black jacket, ran west on Milner, then south on Las Palmas Avenue.
The attacker remains at large, police said.
On Friday afternoon, Stroumboulopoulos, the renter of the residence, said he was in New York when the deadly break-in occurred. He was returning Friday to Los Angeles to be with friends, who he said were devastated.
“The victim is a dear friend of mine, who was staying at my place while I was away,” he said in a statement. “I am heartbroken.”
His celebrity talk show, “George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight,” aired on the Canadian network CBC for 10 seasons. Stroumboulopoulos interviewed Tom Cruise, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and other stars.
“There’s so much to say but I’m at a loss for words so just love your people, and I will have more to say when we know more about what happened,” Stroumboulopoulos said.
In the last year, one other homicide has occurred in the Hollywood Hills, according to The Times’ Homicide Report.
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UPDATES:
5:50 p.m.: This article has been updated with the name of the victim and other details.
3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from George Stroumboulopoulos.
2:40 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the home.
9:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the man’s death.
This article was originally published at 6:30 a.m.
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