Tenant, 78, Held in Death of Man, 76
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A 78-year-old North Hollywood man was booked on suspicion of murder Monday in the shooting death of his 76-year-old landlord, Los Angeles police said.
Police found the body of Chamras Thara about 11 a.m. behind the garage of a home he rented to the suspect, Hual Sripetch, Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said.
The shooting followed an argument between the two men, both natives of Thailand, Vernon said, adding that the nature of the dispute was unclear.
Thara’s wife called police and directed them to her husband’s body, Vernon said.
Sripetch has lived next to Thara for at least five years.
According to Vernon, Thara also hired him as a caretaker for the property in the 13000 block of Burton Street.
Vernon said the shooting was “very unusual for two men this age.”
Marlene Smith, who lives across the street, said that she and other neighbors had no inkling that there were any tensions between the landlord and tenant.
“He was a real nice man,” Smith said of Thara, adding that he waved to her each morning as she headed to work.
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