By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies arrested a second suspect in the murder of a 96-year-old man during a Saratoga home invasion robbery in 2009.
Juan Cortinas, 33, of San Jose, was arrested late last week on suspicion of beating Charles Maridon to death in the 20000 block of Wardell Road on Dec. 3, 2009, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Cortinas will be arraigned on one count of murder and one count of robbery on Wednesday afternoon, according to Lisa McCrary, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
Cortinas is the former co-worker of 34-year-old Sonny Lopez, of San Jose, the first suspect in the case who was fatally shot by Fremont police officers on March 7, 2010, in Cupertino.
Lopez was wanted on suspicion of fatally shooting his uncle, 49-year-old Larry Lopez, inside his Fremont home in the 100 block of Sycamore Street on March 1, 2010, according to Fremont police.
In the Maridon case, two men broke into his home around 11 p.m., beat Maridon and his 64-year-old daughter and fled with their property, according to the sheriff’s office.
Both victims were found the next morning by a landscaper who worked at the home. Maridon’s daughter survived, but Maridon died of his injuries on Dec. 18, 2009.
Cortinas was in custody and awaiting a pre-trial hearing on Sept. 14 for a separate charge of battery on a peace officer, for which he was arrested on Oct. 19, 2010, McCrary said.
Cortinas was also involved in a third case for which he was sentenced in July to two years in state prison for second-degree burglary and five years for second-degree burglary, grand theft, reckless driving while fleeing or eluding peace officers, and forgery.
