Martinez man arrested in fatal yard stabbing

Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Todd Stewart in Martinez, California. Surveillance footage shows the suspect arriving in a gray Cadillac SUV wearing a mask and a tactical vest before attacking Stewart in his front yard.

Authorities noted that Iriarte-Valdez had been released on his own recognizance just one day prior to the attack while awaiting trial for separate residential burglary cases. He had been taken into custody the previous week for allegedly violating home-detention monitoring rules, only to be released shortly before the killing occurred.

Stewart, a longtime resident and retired engineer, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not yet established a motive or determined if the suspect and victim knew one another. Iriarte-Valdez is currently held in custody with bail set at more than $1 million.