Man Trying To Turn Himself In After Allegedly Killing Ex-Girlfriend Turned Away From South Bay Jail
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A man who went to the Santa Clara County jail to turn himself in for killing a former girlfriend was turned away by a deputy, authorities said.
The man, identified as 28-year-old Hugo Castro, reportedly walked into the main jail lobby two days ago with a note that revealed the whereabouts of the body of his ex-girlfriend, identified as 27-year-old Alessandra Barlas. Officers found her stabbed over the weekend inside a condo building in downtown on Third Street. Neither of them lived there.
The sheriff's department said that as soon as a correctional deputy found out about the note, he directed Castro to the San Jose Police Department around the corner.
Castro hadn't told them he was responsible for the crime. He did, however, follow instructions and walk to the police headquarters to report the body.
A San Jose police spokesman said the procedure at his department would be different. "Here, we would find out what this person was talking about, detain that person, notify the investigative unit," said Sgt. Enrique Garcia of the San Jose police department. "If it's within our jurisdiction then we would handle the follow-up investigation."
On Wednesday, the sheriff's department said that Castro first told a civilian worker that he wanted to turn himself in. After finding no active warrants for im, the staffer turned things over to a correctional deputy.
The sheriff said in a statement that if the allegations are true, the correctional deputy failed to meet the expectations of the department and they will deal with him accordingly.
The deputy has been reassigned pending an investigation into the incident.
The revelation comes amid increased scrutiny of the county jail system. The FBI is helping the sheriff's office investigate nearly 100 jail complaints since the August arrest of three deputies accused of beating an inmate to death. Two other county deputies were also arrested earlier this month and accused of misconduct.
