A San Jose man is facing two counts of murder after police say he flagged down a patrol officer over the weekend and confessed to committing a homicide, a tip that ultimately led detectives to a second body across town. Officers identified the man as 28-year-old San Jose resident Marcelino Castro, who was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail following his arrest.
The investigation began around 5:14 p.m. Saturday, according to NBC Bay Area, when a police patrol officer was flagged down by a man who alleged he had committed a homicide. Officers responded to the area of LeLong and Alma avenues, where they found a man dead.
From there, the case widened quickly. Police said Castro provided detectives with information about a second homicide in the area of Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue, and detectives found a second person dead at that location. Both deaths are now being investigated as San Jose's 20th and 21st homicides of 2026, per the same report.
Charges Filed, Motive Still Unclear
Castro was charged with two counts of murder following the discovery of both victims. Police have not released the identities of either person killed, and the report notes that the motive and circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
Detectives have not said whether the two deaths occurred at the same time or under related circumstances, and no additional details about a court date, plea, or attorney have been made public. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Jose Police Department's homicide unit at 408-277-5283, or reach out directly to Detective Estantino at [email protected] or Detective Sgt. Van Den Broeck at [email protected].
A Rising Toll for San Jose in 2026
The case is among the double-homicide arrests San Jose police have announced so far this year. In April, officers arrested 46-year-old Gustavo Rodriguez in connection with the fatal shootings of two men at what was described as an illegal gambling establishment, according to a KTVU report, with a warrant naming him the primary suspect in a March 12 fatal double homicide, per San Jose Inside. Earlier in the year, the San Jose Police Department also announced an arrest tied to the city's second and third homicides of 2026, identifying Aaron Anthony Ocampo as a suspect in that case.
Those earlier cases, along with this weekend's arrest, underscore how San Jose homicide detectives have spent much of 2026 working through a string of multi-victim cases. As with the Castro case, police in those earlier incidents withheld broader details about motive while charges moved through the courts.
