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San Jose man accused of double homicide appears in court
A San Jose man who turned himself into police and admitted to committing two homicides made his first court appearance Thursday. Marcelino Castro, 28, was ordered held without bail.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - A 28-year-old San Jose man accused of killing two people along the Guadalupe River and later flagging down police to confess made his first court appearance Thursday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
Marcelino Castro is charged with two counts of murder. He did not enter a plea or make a statement in court and is being held without bail.
Prosecutors allege Castro planned the killings and lured the victims to secluded areas several days apart. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of more victims as the investigation continues.
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San Jose man confesses to double homicide
San Jose police arrested a 28-year-old man Saturday who flagged down an officer and confessed to killing two people.
Guadalupe River homicides
What we know:
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Michael Gadeberg said the first killing occurred Sept. 12 near Highway 87 and Lelong Street. Prosecutors allege Castro committed the second killing four days later near Coleman Avenue and Autumn Way.
Both locations are along the banks of the river and are frequented by unhoused people, according to prosecutors.
"It appears Mr. Castro planned to commit the first murder, lured his victim to a secluded location, took his life, then spent a number of days reflecting and planning and then went out and searched for another victim," Gadeberg said.
Gadeberg described the killings as unusual and said he had never seen a case in which a suspect allegedly committed one killing, had a cooling-off period and then carried out another similar attack.
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What they're saying:
Shaunn Cartwright, who works with the Unhoused Response Group, said the killings have shaken the community. She said some people are questioning whether a third recent death could be connected to the case.
"There is a lot of violence that happens to unhoused people," Cartwright said. "It is the location and the timing of the third death. It is right near the train station. It was the same day that the man turned himself in. They were found in the morning. It’s just that there was a third body that was found on the same day."
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The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said the investigation is in its preliminary stages and remains ongoing. At this point, investigators have confirmed two victims connected to the case.
What we don't know:
The victims’ identities have not been released. A woman who identified herself as the mother of one of the victims attended Thursday’s hearing but declined to comment.
Castro is scheduled to return to court Dec. 8.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the San Jose Police Department and Thursday’s proceedings in Santa Clara County Superior Court.