The Brief
- Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, was charged with special-circumstance murder in the fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Martinez homeowner Todd Stewart, with prosecutors alleging the killing occurred while Iriarte-Valdez was fleeing a burglary attempt.
- Authorities say Iriarte-Valdez had previously targeted two Orinda homes for burglary on April 29, including the home of an 83-year-old woman whose laptop was stolen and another where a resident allegedly encountered him trying to enter.
- A judge released Iriarte-Valdez on his own recognizance one day before the Martinez killing, despite an alleged home-detention violation. He is now being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
ORINDA, Calif. – A man was charged with special-circumstance murder Tuesday in the stabbing death of a Martinez homeowner, months after authorities say he targeted two homes in Orinda for burglary months earlier.
“I was upstairs washing my hair. I didn’t even know he tried our front door,” an 83-year-old Orinda woman told KTVU after being told of the alleged connection. “I’d be surprised that he would be capable of murdering somebody and have a knife with him.”
Suspect charged with murder in Martinez slaying
What we know:
Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, was charged Tuesday by the Contra Costa County DA’s office with murder in the fatal stabbing of Todd Stewart, 68, on Francis Court, a quiet cul-de-sac in Martinez.…