Suspect accused of fatal stabbing day after his release from California jail charged with murder
Key Points:
- Marcos Eduardo Iriarte-Valdez, 36, has been charged with murder for fatally stabbing 68-year-old Todd Stewart during a residential burglary in Martinez, California, on August 6, just one day after being released from custody on electronic monitoring for a separate burglary case.
- Stewart was stabbed outside his home and died at the scene, with the incident captured on video surveillance; Iriarte-Valdez fled but was arrested the following day after police identified his vehicle.
- Iriarte-Valdez had been previously arrested on August 4 for violating home detention rules related to earlier burglaries and was released on electronic monitoring despite objections from the district attorney's office.
- During his arraignment, Iriarte-Valdez pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail, with the judge deeming him a risk to public safety; he faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on Iriarte-Valdez, a Venezuelan-Spanish national legally admitted to the U.S. in 2007, who also faces multiple other charges including burglary and violating a protective order.