Police have arrested the man accused of the horrifying stabbing death of a 68-year-old California man — an attack captured in shocking newly released surveillance footage.
Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, was arrested at his Martinez home Friday night in connection with the fatal stabbing of Todd Stewart, the Martinez Police Department said.
But Iriarte-Valdez was already out on pre-trial release for residential burglaries, according to cops.
He was arrested again Aug. 4 for allegedly violating a home-detention monitoring rule — only to be released once more the very next day.
Now, following the alleged stabbing, Iriarte-Valdez is back behind bars with bail set at a $1.1 million as detectives continue digging into the killing.
“I think people can sleep a little bit safer tonight knowing that this person is in custody,” police chief Andrew White said. “Unfortunately, too, there’s a family that no longer has a husband, a father.”
The newly released surveillance video shows Iriarte-Valdez pulling up in a Cadillac SUV wearing dark jeans, a gray shirt and a protective vest.
He appears to sit in the vehicle for a while before getting out — and allegedly launching a vicious knife attack on Stewart.
The two can be seen tussling on a sidewalk between two parked cars before Stewart is knocked to the ground.
Iriarte-Valdez allegedly continues stabbing him even after he falls, as Stewart screams in agony.
Stewart, a husband and father of two, was pronounced dead at the scene despite medics’ desperate attempts to save him.
Cops have not said what sparked the attack or whether Iriarte-Valdez and Stewart knew each other.
Stewart had lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years and had recently completed renovations on his home, neighbors told KTVU.
“He was the most mild-mannered person and the most helpful in the court,” said a friend. “It’s still unbelievable. I look across the street, and I expect him to come out and wave.”
