San Jose man claims role in two homicides along Guadalupe River, police say

A San Jose man is in jail facing likely murder charges after he reportedly told police he was behind two killings discovered miles apart along the Guadalupe River over the weekend.

Marcelino Castro, 28, of San Jose was arrested Saturday afternoon after he flagged down a patrol officer in the area of Lelong Street and West Alma Avenue and confessed to killing someone, according to the San Jose Police Department. Soon after, officers found a “deceased male victim.”

Police said while he was in custody, Castro told investigators about a second killing about three miles north near Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue, a location also near the Guadalupe River and a busy commercial and retail complex. Detectives reported finding a second homicide victim that corroborated the information Castro gave them.

Additional details about the victims, the method of the killings, or the potential motive and circumstances behind them were not disclosed by police Tuesday. The Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner had not formally identified either person as of Tuesday afternoon.

Castro is being held without bail in the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of two counts of murder. As of Tuesday, he had not been formally charged. Because his arrest occurred on a weekend, the District Attorney’s Office has until late Wednesday morning to file charges.

Court records show Castro has at least six felony convictions dating back to 2019, which includes a family violence conviction, and had two active felony cases from April and June of this year.

The deaths are the city’s 20th and 21st homicides of the year investigated by San Jose police — the same number of homicides had been recorded at the same point in 2025.

Anyone with information for investigators can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or email Detective Sgt. John Van Den Broeck at [email protected] or Detective Amanda Estantino at [email protected]. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.