It’s a story we’ve seen all too often: suspect is charged with crimes, liberal judge lets him walk, and he goes on to commit more crimes.
In this case, that crime is allegedly cold-blooded, random murder. When will the “criminal justice reform” crowd admit that their soft-on-crime policies don’t work and lead to mayhem and death?
The suspect had been released not once but twice before he showed up in a suburban neighborhood in the East San Francisco Bay city of Martinez and stabbed 68-year-old Todd Stewart to death. The victim was just trying to build a shed. It was a preventable tragedy, like so many of them seem to be:
The homicide happened in front of Stewart's home on Francis Court, where neighbor Galina Pasternak said Stewart had been building a shed when the suspect attacked him…
According to police, Iriarte-Valdez was initially on pre-trial release in connection with residential burglaries in Orinda in April. On Aug, 4, police re-arrested him for allegedly violating a home detention monitoring rule.
The following day, Aug. 5, a judge ordered Iriarte-Valdez released on his own recognizance. Police said Stewart was killed the next day.
The murder was caught on a neighborhood surveillance camera, and police arrested him that Friday evening. They were able to match the car to the one seen in the video, which also allegedly showed Iriarte-Valdez wearing tactical gear.
Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, the suspect accused of kiIIing 68-year-old Todd Stewart while he worked in his yard in California, was released from prison just 24 hours earlier.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 9, 2026
Not 24 years. Not 24 months. 24 HOURS.
JAIL. THE. JUDGES.
We should not have to live like this!! pic.twitter.com/uPEUrYHja0
Residents of the area were saddened but also infuriated that the justice system had failed yet again. "I am angry. I'm sad," said neighbor Galina Pasternak. "I absolutely believe this murder could have been prevented."
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Legal analyst Steven Clark wondered whether the system has become overly focused on protecting criminals' rights at the expense of innocent victims. "[He] violated the terms of his pretrial release,” he said. "Yet, he was given a second chance, and now we have an alleged homicide. It's cases like this that make people ask, has the pendulum swung too wide the other direction and public safety is not being sufficiently considered?"
The answer to Clark's question is not complicated: YES.
Meet Judge Nichelle N. Holmes of the Contra Costa County Superior Court. She ordered Marcos Iriarte-Valdez released on his own recognizance the day before he murdered Todd Stewart.
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) August 11, 2026
She was appointed by Gavin Newsom in March 2024.
When will judges and politicians finally be held… https://t.co/NR7cv6ZgAd pic.twitter.com/Mg7yYHKOJD
Meet Judge Nichelle N. Holmes of the Contra Costa County Superior Court. She ordered Marcos Iriarte-Valdez released on his own recognizance the day before he murdered Todd Stewart.
She was appointed by Gavin Newsom in March 2024.
When will judges and politicians finally be held accountable for their actions?
The suspect and the victim have no known connection. The alleged sicko is now behind bars — hopefully he’ll stay there this time — facing murder charges as he’s held on $1.1 million bail. That’s all well and good… But it won’t bring Todd Stewart back.
It’s long past time we moved on from “criminal justice reform” and turned our attentions back to something that used to be known as “accountability."
"I'm glad they caught him. I hope they got the right guy. Thank you for that. But it won't bring Todd back. It won't bring a husband to his wife. It won't bring a father to his daughters," she [Pasternak] said.
Stewart is survived by his wife and two daughters.
A tragedy — and one that did not need to happen.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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