No leads yet in beating death

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Police are still looking for leads in the beating death

of a 57-year-old transient, who was found in a rundown dirt alley behind

a commercial strip on Newport Boulevard.

Hans “Bert” Ebel was found by police at about 10 a.m. Friday after a

business owner reported a man sleeping in the back of the shop, police

said. Ebel had apparently been beaten.

Police and coroner officials would not comment further Tuesday about

the homicide.

John Jenkins, an employee at Daniel Glass, said he was working when

detectives came to investigate the crime. The glass shop is near where

the body was found, in the 1500 block of Newport Blvd.

“There were a whole bunch of cops walking around and a coroners van

and the whole deal,” he said. “I hopped up on top of one of our vans to

take a look.”

Jenkins said the police found Ebel among tarps that an area business

owner uses to keep the rain out of their building.

The small strip of land where Ebel was found is bordered by homes to

the east and businesses -- such as Unique Bar -- to the west. Best

described as an alley, the run down piece of land is unpaved, muddy and

littered with bricks, pipes, rusted metal bars and large pieces of wood.

Backyards border the unkempt alley and unruly weeds and fallen trees have

spilled over into the common area.

“You never hear anything up here because there is usually nothing to

hear,” said Jenkins, who said he always considered it a safe area.

Lenka Petros, a bartender at Unique Bar, said she was a little nervous

about such a violent crime taking place in theback yard of her work

place. She said Ebel was a customer.

“It’s so sad,” she said. “And a little scary because you just never

know what could happen.”

The fact that police don’t have any leads yet makes her even more

afraid, she said.

But regular customer David Speaks said it would not stop him from

frequenting the dark, modest bar.

“I think it’s just a fluke thing, as far as I know,” Speaks said.

Ebel’s death marks the third homicide this year in Costa Mesa, which

in May was ranked 30th in the country and seventh in the county on an FBI

list of the nation’s safest cities.

Miroslav Maric, a 49-year-old Newport Beach resident, was shot in May

outside a fast food restaurant on 17th Street. Ramadan Dokovic, the man

of accused of committing the crime, has pleaded not guilty and is

awaiting trial.

Ceceline Godsoe, 16, was found dead on a brush-covered trail in

Fairview Park in late September. Police are still looking for 17-year-old

Victor Garcia, a suspect in her murder.

-- Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .