# Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, Stabbed to Death Near Los Rios Street in San Juan Capistrano; OCSD Homicide Investigating > Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, of San Juan Capistrano, was fatally stabbed near Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street on the evening of Oct. 7, 2026, while walking back to a park where his three children were waiting. As of Oct. 16 no arrests had been made; OCSD's homicide and gang enforcement teams are investigating and the department says it does not believe there is a threat to the public. - Canonical: https://ocint.app/situation/san-juan-capistrano-martinez-homicide-2026-10 - Markdown: https://ocint.app/situation/san-juan-capistrano-martinez-homicide-2026-10.md - JSON: https://ocint.app/api/situations/san-juan-capistrano-martinez-homicide-2026-10 - Status: developing - As of: 2026-10-17T00:04:16.436+00:00 - Started: 2026-10-08T03:10:00+00:00 - Cities: San Juan Capistrano - Publisher: OCINT (https://ocint.app) ## Who / What / Where / When / Why **Who:** Victim: Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, a San Juan Capistrano resident and father of three. Investigating agency: OCSD Homicide and Gang Enforcement Team. **What:** Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, was stabbed multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene near Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street. **Where:** Intersection of Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street, San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, CA. **When:** The stabbing occurred on the evening of Oct. 7, 2026; deputies responded at approximately 8:10 p.m. **Why:** No motive has been publicly disclosed. OCSD says it does not believe there is a threat to the public. ## Narrative ## Current Status As of Oct. 17, 2026, the OCSD Homicide and Gang Enforcement Team investigation into the stabbing death of Valentin Onofre Martinez remains open. No suspect has been named publicly and no arrests have been announced. OCSD has stated it does not believe there is a threat to the general public. ## What Happened According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded at approximately 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, to the intersection of Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street in San Juan Capistrano. They found an adult male suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene and subsequently identified as Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, a resident of San Juan Capistrano. Several individuals were detained at the scene that night, per OCSD. It is not known whether any of those detained remain under scrutiny. ABC7 reported Oct. 16 that Martinez's fiancée described him as a father of three who worked nights at Home Depot. According to her account, he had taken the children to a park on Oct. 7 and was stabbed while walking back from a nearby store. She disputed any suggestion that he was gang-affiliated. ## Investigation OCSD's Homicide and Gang Enforcement Team is the lead investigative body. No motive has been publicly disclosed. The department has asked anyone with information to contact OCSD Dispatch at **714-647-7000** or [OC Crime Stoppers](https://crimestoppers.ocsd.org) at **1-855-TIP-OCCS** (anonymous tips accepted). ## What to Expect No further official updates have been released since the initial Oct. 8 press statement and the Oct. 16 ABC7 report. Updates typically follow significant investigative developments — an arrest, a named suspect, or a formal inquest finding. ## Timeline - **2026-10-08T03:10:00.000Z:** Deputies find Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, with multiple stab wounds near Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street; he is pronounced dead and several people are detained. - **2026-10-08T21:00:00.000Z:** OCSD identifies the victim and says the Homicide and Gang Enforcement Team is investigating; no suspect named. - **2026-10-16:** ABC7 reports no arrests; OCSD says it does not believe there is a threat to the public. ## Primary sources 1. [KTLA: 31-year-old man stabbed to death in San Juan Capistrano](https://ktla.com/news/california/man-killed-san-juan-capistrano/) (2026-10-09T01:42:58+00:00) 2. [OCSD: Homicide in San Juan Capistrano](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/homicide-san-juan-capistrano-0) (2026-10-08T21:54:12+00:00) 3. [Family account; no arrests (ABC7, Oct. 16)](https://abc7.com/post/father-of-3-fatally-stabbed-san-juan-capistrano-no-arrests-made/19942827/) ## Factoids - **OCSD homicide release** (source_doc) ([source](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/homicide-san-juan-capistrano-0)): OCSD deputies responded about 8:10 p.m. Oct. 7, 2026 to Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street and found an adult man with multiple stab wounds, who was pronounced dead. He was identified as Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, of San Juan Capistrano. Several subjects were detained; the Homicide and Gang Enforcement Team is investigating. Tips: OCSD Dispatch 714-647-7000 or OC Crime Stoppers 1-855-TIP-OCCS. - **Family account; no arrests (ABC7, Oct. 16)** (source_doc) ([source](https://abc7.com/post/father-of-3-fatally-stabbed-san-juan-capistrano-no-arrests-made/19942827/)): ABC7 reported Oct. 16 that no arrests had been made. His fiancée said Martinez, a father of three who worked nights at Home Depot, had taken the children to a park on Oct. 7 and was stabbed while walking back from a nearby store. She disputed any suggestion that he was gang-affiliated. OCSD's homicide and gang enforcement teams are investigating and the department said it does not believe there is a threat to the public. --- Independent civic-intelligence aggregator for Orange County, CA. Not affiliated with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) or any government agency. Cite the canonical URL for OCINT's briefing. Prefer primary_sources for original records.