What apartment renters don't know about their water usage could hurt

The vast majority of apartment buildings in L.A. use a "master meter" that provides a reading for the whole building, and tenants do not pay for their own water or know how much they use. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)Ambition brought Carrie Jean Melvin to Hollywood, where she chased a career in entertainment between waitressing and working odd jobs.

Unlike so many with similar dreams of stardom, Melvin had a side gig that police say led to her death.

On a Sunday night in early July, as Melvin, 30, walked toward a restaurant near Sunset Boulevard with her boyfriend, someone walked up behind them, aimed a shotgun at her head and pulled the trigger. The gunman fled in a black sedan, police…