The man accused of fatally stabbing a 68-year-old California retiree outside his own home has been identified as a Venezuelan migrant who was released from jail less than a day before the deadly attack, authorities said.

Marcos Iriarte-Valdez, 36, whose full legal name was identified by federal authorities as Marcos Eduardo Iriarte Valdezusper, is accused of killing Todd Stewart on the front lawn of Stewart’s Martinez home last week.

Federal officials said Iriarte-Valdez is a Venezuelan national who also holds Spanish citizenship and is in the US illegally.

Surveillance footage reportedly captured the horrifying attack on Stewart, who was 68.

The case has drawn renewed attention to Iriarte-Valdez’s previous criminal case and the circumstances surrounding his release from custody.

According to authorities, Iriarte-Valdez had been on pretrial release in connection with residential burglaries that allegedly occurred April 29 in Orinda.

He was jailed Tuesday after allegedly violating the conditions of his home-detention monitoring.

But just one day later, a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge released him on his own recognizance and referred him back to home detention monitoring.

Less than 24 hours later, Stewart was allegedly stabbed to death.

Martinez Police Chief Andrew White said Iriarte-Valdez apparently had not even been fitted with the required home-monitoring equipment until Friday — the day after Stewart was killed.

Police arrested Iriarte-Valdez Friday evening at a home on Ashwood Drive.

He was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held on $1.1 million bail.

The case also triggered a response from the Department of Homeland Security.

On Tuesday, DHS identified Iriarte-Valdez as a “Venezuelan illegal alien” and criticized California’s sanctuary policies.

The department called on state officials not to release him from custody and said federal immigration authorities wanted to take custody of him.

DHS argued that cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officials is necessary when criminal suspects are believed to be unlawfully present in the country.

The department also cited the case as an example of what it described as the dangers of releasing criminal illegal immigrants into communities.

According to federal officials, Iriarte-Valdez has been in the United States since 2007.

His immigration status is now expected to become another major part of the case following his arrest for Stewart’s killing.

Federal immigration authorities placed an immigration detainer on Iriarte-Valdez with the Contra Costa County Jail on Saturday, one day after his arrest.

For Stewart’s family and neighbors, however, the focus remains on the violent attack that ended the retiree’s life outside the home where he should have been safe.

Iriarte-Valdez remains in custody as the murder investigation and immigration proceedings move forward.

The allegations against him have not been proven in court, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: nypost.com