Suspect sought in possible West Hollywood hate crime

WEST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Family and friends of a man who was found brutally beaten in Hollywood last month gathered to mourn the loss of the 37-year-old at one of his favorite restaurants on Tuesday.

Ramon Estrada's death was a mystery. He was last seen on July 7, leaving Gold Coast Bar in West Hollywood to head home. He never made it.

"He called at about 1:45 in the morning and said, 'Can you open the door?' It just sounded normal to me. And 20 minutes later, he was in the ambulance," Estrada's partner Michael Shut said.

Estrada was found on Mansfield Avenue just north of Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. For seven days, no one knew where Estrada was since he was on life support in a coma and had no forms of identification on him. His cell phone had been stolen.

His wounds were consistent with being attacked. Police were investigating if it was a hate crime.

Friends described Estrada as compassionate and extremely kind.

"These people are still out there and the cruelty involved in this is just unbelievable. They're out there among us," Estrada's friend Kenslea Sahl said.

His partner believed Estrada was targeted.

"Justice needs to be paid. I lost my boyfriend of 14 years and my partner. My life has flipped upside down," Shutt said.