Police say Marcelino Castro approached a patrol officer before investigators found two people dead at separate locations near the Guadalupe River.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A 28-year-old San Jose man was arrested on suspicion of two murders after police say he flagged down a patrol officer and claimed responsibility for a killing, then provided information that led investigators to a second person who had died at another location.
San Jose police identified the suspect as Marcelino Castro. Police said the encounter began at about 5:14 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, when Castro approached an officer and said he had committed a homicide in the area of Lelong and Alma avenues. Officers went to that area, near the Guadalupe River and Highway 87, and found a dead man. Castro was taken into custody as detectives began investigating the circumstances of the death.
During the investigation, police said Castro gave detectives information about another homicide near Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue, more than 2 miles north of the first location. Detectives went to that area and found a second person dead. Authorities have not released the identity of that person or said whether the two victims knew each other or knew Castro.
Castro was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of two counts of murder, according to police. An arrest on suspicion of a crime is not a determination of guilt, and police had not publicly described the evidence in the cases beyond Castro’s alleged statements and the discoveries made at the two locations.
The unusual sequence left several central questions unanswered as homicide detectives continued their work. Police have not said when either person was killed, how they died or what may have led to the deaths. Investigators also have not publicly said whether the killings were connected beyond their allegation that Castro was responsible for both.
Both locations are near the Guadalupe River corridor, though they are separated by several miles. The first scene was around Lelong and Alma avenues in the southern part of the central San Jose area. The second was near Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue farther north. Police have not released a more precise location for either discovery or said whether investigators believe the victims died where they were found.
The two deaths are being investigated as San Jose’s 20th and 21st homicides of 2026. The department had identified a Sept. 9 fatal shooting near Oak and Palm streets as the city’s 19th homicide of the year before announcing the two latest cases.
Police have also withheld the victims’ names and other identifying information. Authorities typically coordinate public identification of people who die in homicide investigations with the Santa Clara County medical examiner after relatives have been notified. No additional information about the victims was released with the police account of Castro’s arrest.
Investigators said the motive and circumstances surrounding both deaths remain under investigation. Detectives are seeking additional information as they work to establish the timing of the killings, the relationships among those involved and the events that preceded the discoveries.
Castro remained the suspect identified by police in both investigations as authorities continued examining the two scenes and the information he allegedly provided. Police had not announced further arrests or publicly disclosed a motive, weapon or detailed chronology as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated September 23, 2026.