A man accused of fatally stabbing a Bay Area retiree in the victim’s front yard allegedly carried out the killing during a failed residential burglary, according to court documents.
Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, a Venezuelan national who also has Spanish citizenship, has been charged with murder in the death of 68-year-old Todd Stewart outside Stewart’s Martinez home last week. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Authorities say Iriarte-Valdez had been released from jail just one day before the alleged attack.
Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said her office intends to seek accountability for the violence that killed Stewart, a father of two whose death has left relatives and neighbors shaken.
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and the larger community as they navigate this unimaginable loss,” Becton said.
Prosecutors allege Iriarte-Valdez used a knife to kill Stewart at about 5:10 p.m. on August 6 while committing a residential burglary. In addition to the murder charge, he faces three enhancements tied to the alleged use of a knife, the burglary allegation and the fact that he was on conditional release at the time.
Surveillance video said to have captured the attack appears to show Iriarte-Valdez arriving at Stewart’s home in a Cadillac SUV while wearing dark jeans, a gray shirt and a protective vest.
Iriarte-Valdez, who also lived in Martinez, allegedly remained in the vehicle for a period of time before getting out and carrying out the knife attack on Stewart.
The men can be seen grappling on a sidewalk and between two parked cars before Stewart stumbles to the ground.
Iriarte-Valdez allegedly continued stabbing Stewart after he fell, as the victim howls in agony.
Stewart was pronounced dead at the scene despite medics’ attempts to save his life.
Martinez police arrested Iriarte-Valdez at his home Friday night. Cops used surveillance and physical evidence from the scene to identify him, prosecutors said.
Iriarte-Valdez was arraigned Wednesday in Contra Costa Superior Court, where he pled not guilty to the murder charge.
Judge David Goldstein, who presided over the arraignment, called the suspect “a risk to public safety” and ordered him held without bail.
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Iriarte-Valdez is due back in court on Sept. 9 for a scheduling hearing.
The migrant, who has been in the US since 2007, was already in trouble with the law at the time of the alleged murder.
He was granted pretrial release by activist judge Nichelle Holmes after being jailed last Tuesday for allegedly violating the terms of his home detention monitoring in a different residential burglary case.
About 24 hours after Holmes released him, Iriarte-Valdez allegedly stabbed Stewart to death.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Holmes to Contra Costa Superior Court in 2024.
She described herself as a protester in a profile published by her law school alma mater in 2017.
“Coming to work every day and ensuring that justice is served is my way of protesting,” said Holmes, a former a deputy district attorney for Contra Costa County.
Friends told KTVU Stewart had lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years and just completed renovations at his home.
“He was the most mild-mannered person and the most helpful,” said a friend. “It’s still unbelievable. I look across the street, and I expect him to come out and wave.”
The Department of Homeland Security revealed on Tuesday that Iriarte-Valdez is a “Venezuelan illegal alien” who committed the alleged crime “in sanctuary California.”
The DHS urged Newsom to hold Iriarte-Valdez in custody.
“[Governor Gavin Newsom] must NOT RELEASE this murderer from jail and turn him over to us so we can REMOVE him from our nation,” the department posted on X.
“Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety,” DHS told The California Post. “This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims.”
On Thursday, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan blasted Newsom and California‘s “sanctuary” laws over Stewart’s alleged murder.
“This person’s dead because Governor Newsom and the state of California puts politics — hatred of President Trump — over public safety,” he said.
