Suspect arrested in shotgun slaying of woman who was walking in Hollywood

A 31-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with the slaying of a woman who was walking with her boyfriend in Hollywood earlier this month when a gunman walked up behind them, aimed a shotgun at her head and pulled the trigger.

Ezeoma Obioha, 31, was arrested at 7:15 p.m. on suspicion of murder in the death of Carrie Jean Melvin, said Lt. John Radke of the Los Angeles Police Department. Obioha remains in custody and is being held on $1 million bail.

“We have been working hard around the clock on this and we didn’t want to draw attention to the leads we developed,” Radke said. “This was a terrible crime and it is one of those scenes you’ll never forget.”

Investigators believe that the motive was “financial” and that Obioha was lying in wait for Melvin when she was shot on the night of July 5. He said search warrants were served at Obioha’s home on Friday.

Melvin and her boyfriend were walking along McCadden Place near Sunset Boulevard around 10 p.m. on their way to get some food when the shooting occurred, police said.

The gunman jumped into a black sedan and drove off. Melvin died at the scene.

Melvin’s father called his daughter’s death “incredibly senseless.” Bernie Melvin said she had studied film at UC Santa Cruz and moved to Hollywood about four years ago to break into the entertainment industry. Like many young Angelenos, he said, Carrie Melvin worked several jobs — waitressing, bartending — while pursuing that dream.

“She was really kind of spreading her wings,” he said at the time. “It’s an extreme loss to us. She had a lot to give, and her life was cut short.”

richard.winton@latimes.com

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