20-Year-Old San Jose Man Murdered at Central Park; Family Seeking Donations for Memorial Services
By Robert Haugh
At 2:10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11, Santa Clara Police officers responded to the report of an injured person near the tennis courts at Central Park at 909 Kiely Blvd.
Responding officers discovered a deceased 20-year-old male, Alfredo Ortiz, appearing to have been the victim of a stabbing. SCPD quickly initiated an intense investigation, having arrested a 17-year-old male on homicide charges.
The alleged suspect’s name had been withheld because he was a minor when he was arrested. However, the alleged suspect, John Reyes Gonzales, of Santa Clara, turned 18 on Friday, March 13, therefore will be arraigned as an adult.
Because of current laws, and the fact that the alleged suspect Gonzales has now turned 18, the District Attorney’s office will be prosecuting Gonzales as an adult. He remains in custody and was scheduled to be arraigned at the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Department 23 by Judge Jerome Nadler, at the Hall of Justice in San Jose on March 13; however, the arraignment has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 19. Gonzales is being held without bail and is facing one murder charge.
SCPD says that the homicide does not appear to be gang-related.
According to investigators, the victim had been at the park with a group of acquaintances when a conflict occurred with a fight ensuing. They state that Ortiz, a San Jose resident was stabbed during the fight and succumbed to “severe” wounds at the scene.
“Santa Clara is a very safe community. This is an unfortunate tragedy that rarely happens in our City. Our parks are a very safe place for families,” said SCPD Police Information Officer, Lt. Phil Cooke. Cooke adds that there aren’t any ongoing concerns regarding this incident.
According to the victim’s sister-in-law, Rosie Ramos, the family of Ortiz is trenching through severe financial hardships and wishes to give her ‘little brother’ a proper memorial service and burial.
“He was a really great kid and was turning into a wonderful and great man. He had a smile that everyone loved,” says Ramos.
“We have faith in what the justice system will do,” says Ramos. “We have no ill will, we just wish and hope we can provide Alfredo with a proper memorial and burial.”
The family hopes that the community can help them with the costs of a proper memorial service and burial by donating to the recently established Alfredo Ortiz Memorial Fund set up at Wells Fargo Bank.
Donations to the Alfredo Ortiz Memorial Fund may be made at any Wells Fargo bank: account number 5534447155.
Anyone with information about the homicide is encouraged to contact lead investigator, Sgt. Dan Moreno, at 408-615-4800. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call 408-615-4826.
This is the first homicide in Santa Clara this year.
