SACRAMENTO, Calif. (PSN) — A Sacramento man was booked on homicide-related charges after an assault near Capitol Park Hotel left another man dead Saturday evening, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
Officers responded just before 6:15 p.m. Oct. 24 to the 1100 block of Ninth Street for reports of an assault. They found an unconscious adult man with life-threatening injuries, police said.
The victim was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts.
Police identified the suspect as Manuel Rivas, 41, of Sacramento. Officers located and safely detained Rivas. In a follow-up statement to PSN, department spokesperson Marcos Moreno said, “The suspect was booked on homicide related charges.” Police did not specify the individual charges.
Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded to take over the investigation. They processed the scene, canvassed the area and interviewed witnesses. The circumstances remain under investigation.
PSN visited the Capitol Park Hotel scene later that night and documented officers and crime scene investigators still working in the area. The accompanying footage shows the subsequent investigation, not the assault. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will release the victim’s identity after his next of kin have been notified.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sacramento police at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-HELP (4357). Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the P3 Tips app.
FACTOID:
Known as the Capitol Park Hotel since the 1960s, the property at 1125 Ninth St. reopened in January 2024 as St. Clare at Capitol Park following its conversion to permanent supportive housing. The name may have changed, but after more than six decades, “Capitol Park Hotel” may prove a hard habit for Sacramentans to break. Sources: Mercy Housing’s naming history and January 2024 reopening. The sources establish the decade, not an exact year for the original name.
Before St. Clare: A Century Of Downtown History
Long before its conversion to supportive housing, the property now known as St. Clare at Capitol Park was part of downtown Sacramento’s hotel, restaurant and everyday working life.
Its story began with two adjoining buildings constructed in 1911 and 1912. The northern Siller Building accommodated several businesses, while the neighboring Hotel Sutter opened in December 1912. The northern building became the Hotel Lenhart in 1928. By 1933, the adjoining hotel had taken the name Rellis, “Siller” spelled backward, and the two were combined into a 230-room Hotel Lenhart with a restaurant and coffee shop below.
A 1966 refurbishment brought the Capitol Park Hotel name, according to the property’s National Register nomination. The work included freshly painted facades, Western-style signs and a relocated lobby entrance at 1125 Ninth St.
A Familiar Place For Lunch
The hotel’s history was not confined to its upstairs rooms. Its ground-floor businesses were part of the surrounding downtown neighborhood.
In September 2019, CapRadio documented Capitol Cafe, Henry’s Lounge and Capitol Mini Mart operating beneath the hotel. Ron and Irene Henry, the former hotel owners, owned those businesses.
A New Chapter
The hotel operated as a temporary homeless shelter from September 2019 through October 2020. Mercy Housing subsequently transformed the former 180-unit single-room-occupancy property into 134 permanent supportive studio apartments.
The rehabilitation changed the building’s function while preserving pieces of its past. Mercy Housing identifies historic hexagonal lobby tile and two original stairways among the retained features.
The property reopened in January 2024 as St. Clare at Capitol Park. Apartments include individual bathrooms and kitchenettes, with shared gathering areas, laundry facilities and space for resident support services.
The new name marks a new chapter. But after decades as Capitol Park Hotel, it may take more than new signage to change a familiar Sacramento habit.