San Francisco police said today they have a suspect in custody in the killing of a homeless man who was found dead inside the doorway of a Mission District residential hotel early Monday.
Officers found the body of Luis Montoya inside the front door of the Prita Hotel at 2280 Mission St. just before 6 a.m. It was initially believed Montoya had been stabbed, but police spokesman Officer Boaz Mariles said investigators later determined he was bludgeoned to death.
Mariles said Montoya was struck multiple times with a blunt object. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released details about the murder weapon but said it was recovered at the scene.
Roger Pacheco-Paz, 42, of San Francisco, was detained for questioning at the scene and later arrested, Mariles said. He was booked into county jail early this morning on a murder charge.
Montoya and Pacheco-Paz are believed to have known each other and “have had prior conflicts,” Mariles said. Police have not released the suspected motive for the killing. The medical examiner’s office has not determined Montoya’s age. He had no fixed address but was believed to have lived in San Francisco.
A woman who knew Montoya reported the attack, police said. Montoya’s killing is San Francisco’s 22nd homicide this year, according to police.
