Suspect arrested in case of human head found in Griffith Park

Los Angeles police said Monday a suspect in Texas has been arrested in connection with the murder of a man whose body parts--including a head--were found scattered across Griffith Park in 2012.

Gabriel Campos Martinez, 38 -- described in an LAPD statement as “the suspect responsible” for the murder of Hervey Medellin -- was arrested Sunday in San Antonio. Martinez was the victim’s roommate and partner, law enforcement sources said.

He was being held without bail Monday pending extradition proceedings.

Medellin, 66, was reported missing about a week before dog walkers discovered his head wrapped in a plastic bag along a Bronson Canyon trail below the Hollywood sign. A subsequent search with cadaver dogs turned up two hands, and later two feet in a shallow grave.

According to friends and family, Medellin’s boyfriend told them Medellin left their third-floor apartment on DeLongpre Avenue on Dec. 26 but that he continued to hear from him until Jan. 4.

The boyfriend told family friends that when Medellin did not return, he became concerned and reported him missing Jan. 9. His head was found eight days later.

Medellin was a retired Mexicana Airlines employee known for his love of art and hiking. Those who knew him said he sometimes walked his dog in the hills where his body was later found, as the park was not far from his home.

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