Man Charged After Police Say He Led Them to Two Bodies

A San Jose man faces two murder charges after police say he approached an officer, reported one killing and then gave detectives information that led them to a second body more than two miles away. Marcelino Castro, 28, was arrested Sept. 19 after the unusual encounter with police.

San Jose police said Castro flagged down a patrol officer at about 5:14 p.m. and claimed he had committed a homicide near Lelong and Alma avenues. Officers went to the area and found a dead man, then took Castro into custody.

During the investigation, police say Castro provided information about another death near Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue. Detectives searched that second location and found another person dead.

One Report Became Two Investigations

The first disclosure immediately sent officers to an area near the Guadalupe River and Highway 87. CBS Bay Area reported that police found the first victim and began a homicide investigation.

What happened next expanded the case. Investigators say Castro described another homicide in a separate area along the river corridor, leading detectives to the second victim.

The victims were found at different locations. Police initially released little information about their identities or the circumstances of the deaths while detectives worked to establish the timeline.

Prosecutors Filed Two Murder Charges

By Sept. 23, prosecutors had filed two murder charges against Castro, CBS Bay Area reported. The district attorney’s office said the first killing occurred Sept. 13 and involved a person Castro knew, while the second happened days later and involved a person he did not know.

The more detailed allegations come from prosecutors and a police declaration and remain unproven. TruthInFacts is omitting the reported mechanics of the killings because they are not necessary to understand the charges or the unusual way the case reached investigators.

Castro had been scheduled for arraignment Wednesday but did not appear, according to CBS. A lawyer was appointed for him and the arraignment was rescheduled for Thursday.

The Motive Has Not Been Established

Police have said they are still investigating the motive and circumstances surrounding the deaths. Early reporting from CBS and the San Francisco Chronicle emphasized that investigators had not publicly explained why the two people were killed.

That unanswered question is important. The known sequence is unusual enough without speculation: a man approached police, officers found one victim, detectives were directed to a second location, and prosecutors later filed two murder charges.

The deaths became San Jose’s 20th and 21st homicide investigations of 2026, according to police. That count provides context for the department’s workload but does not establish any broader connection between these deaths and other cases.

Castro is accused, not convicted. The prosecution will have to establish its case in court, including the evidence supporting each charge. For investigators, the case began not with a 911 call or a witness report, but with the person now charged approaching an officer and setting two separate homicide investigations in motion.

A Case Built Around the Defendant’s Own Approach

The way Castro came into contact with police is part of what distinguishes the case from a typical homicide investigation. Police did not announce that detectives first identified him through surveillance, a tip or a forensic match. They said he approached an officer himself and made the statement that sent officers to the first location.

Prosecutors later supplied additional allegations about the timing and the victims’ relationships to Castro. Those details will still have to be supported in court, but they move the case beyond the limited information police released immediately after the bodies were found. The identities of the victims were not central to the initial police announcement.

References: CBS Bay Area - Prosecutors Detail Timeline Involving San Jose Double Murder Suspect | San Francisco Chronicle - San Jose Man Turns Himself In, Confesses to Two Killings, Police Say

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