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Martinez fatal stabbing and murder charges

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2026-08-14 01:18 UTC → 2026-08-16 04:24 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, a 36-year-old Venezuelan and Spanish national, has been formally charged with murder following the fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Todd Stewart in Martinez, California. Prosecutors allege the killing occurred on August 6 during an attempted residential burglary. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the attack in the victim’s front yard. Iriarte-Valdez had been released on his own recognizance by a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge just one day prior to the incident while awaiting trial for residential burglary cases. Authorities noted he had not yet been fitted with home detention monitoring equipment and had allegedly violated previous monitoring terms. The incident has intensified scrutiny of California’s sanctuary policies. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that an immigration detainer had been placed on Iriarte-Valdez in September 2025. ~~Following~~ During his ~~arrest during a SWAT operation, a judge~~ arraignment, Iriarte-Valdez pleaded not guilty to murder and denied all associated enhancements. Judge David Goldstein ordered him ~~bail,~~ held without bond, citing him as a danger to public safety. If ~~convicted of murder and associated enhancements,~~ convicted, Iriarte-Valdez could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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