Year’s first homicide comes after man dies from 2017 assault

SAN JOSE >> A man who was brutally beaten by his sister’s boyfriend in November has died from his injuries, and the suspect already jailed for the assault now faces a murder charge, according to San Jose police.

Because the victim’s death occurred and was declared a homicide in the new year, he becomes San Jose’s first homicide of 2018.

The original attack was reported at 7:32 a.m. Nov. 10 at a home in the 400 block of Buena Vista Avenue, off West San Carlos Street. Police officers responded to a family disturbance call and found Baltazar Rudolph Espinoza, 65, on the ground. Espinoza was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

An ensuing investigation identified Daniel Gonzales, a 50-year-old San Jose resident who was in a relationship with Espinoza’s sister, as the suspected attacker, police said. At the time, Gonzales was arrested for an unrelated parole violation.

Espinoza died Saturday from his injuries. After an autopsy, the Santa Clara County Medical ExaminerCoroner’s Office formally classified his death as a homicide.

Gonzales, who had been held at the Elmwood Correctional Complex on $1 million bail, could get transferred to the county’s main jail in San Jose now that his booking offense has been changed to murder.

At the same point last year, San Jose had recorded three homicides, on the way to tallying 34 in 2017. That marked a drop from 2016, which recorded 47 homicides, marking a 25-year high for the city.

Anyone with information about the case can contact Detective Sgt. John Barg or Detective Wayne Smith of at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP or at svcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may eligible for a cash reward.