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The Los Feliz
Murder Mansion

Episode 7: The Enriquez Mystery

Who Was Rudy Enriquez?

Stacy Tracks Down The Mysterious Owner

Years of searching finally led us to Rudy’s front door

For decades Rudy Enriquez, the eccentric owner of the Los Feliz Murder Mansion, had evaded journalists and internet sleuths. But a search of property records led Stacy right to his actual front door, just as he was walking down the front steps. He was kind and gracious, and he even agreed to continue the conversation over the phone, an opportunity that Stacy used as much as she could.

"He Was A Very, Very, Very Good Person."

The weekly phone calls began, and Stacy started getting down to the truth

Rudy always answered the phone, and he always answered our questions.
 
Why did his parents never move into the house they bought? His answer was that they did in fact live there, for 30 years. Could it possibly be true? And what about the Christmas tree and wrapping paper? Well Rudy had stored his decorations in that room, even wrapped some gifts there. A simple explanation.
 
It felt like there was more to this story though, but sadly, Rudy passed away before we could do a proper interview.

Did Systemic Racism Contribute
to the Murder Mansion Story?

When Rudy’s parents bought a mansion for their son, it was not a difficult purchase, seeing as the family was already wealthy.

 

But for a Latino family to purchase a home in an all “green” section of Los Angeles during a period of real estate redlining may not have been an easy feat.

 

Take a look at the historic maps to see for yourself.

An Immigrant Family Story

Rudy’s mother, Emilia, came from great wealth in Mexico. But this did not stop her and her husband from opening up their own auto repair and filling station in order to provide even more of an inheritance for their one and only golden son, Rudy.

 

An auto shop still stands at the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Concord Street where the Enriquez Service station once was.

 

And as we began combing through the documents we found in the Enriquez family home, it was apparent that Rudy was definitely an eccentric man. Old patient files from Dr. Perelson were found, with Rudy’s handwriting on the exact same pages. Take a look for yourself.

The Stories Rudy Left Behind

We spent a good amount of time at the Enriquez family home, talking to Richard Burton, the family friend whom Rudy had graciously allowed to live there while he had fallen on hard times.

 

There were many family photos around, and lots of furniture and belongings from the Enriquez family. Richard was always very generous with his time when we visited, and he directed us to Rudy’s other close family friend, Frank Mota, who agreed to do an interview for us.

 

Frank would be the key to unlocking the Enriquez family mystery after all these years.

A Reminder of That Place

Urban explorer, Joel Romero, had told us a story about an Army jacket he had found inside the murder house, and he had even brought it to his interview with us. Later we found photos of Rudy in a very similar jacket, Rudy being the same stature as Joel, and it all clicked. While some belongings were the Perelsons, here was direct evidence that Rudy’s belongings were also there. You can see Joel’s interview for yourself right here.