Sunnyvale investigators have identified Jose Luis Salazar as the man they believe is responsible for the 2020 murder of Anthony Juarez at Baylands Park.
On Aug. 15, 2020, at 4:44 pm Sunnyvale officers responded to Baylands Park (999 Caribbean Drive) on the report of a man near the restroom who had been stabbed. When officers arrived they found 38-year-old Anthony Juarez suffering from several stab wounds. Officers immediately provided Anthony with medical care and quickly had him transported to the hospital in critical condition. Sadly, shortly after Anthony’s arrival at Valley Medical Center, he died.
A witness at Bayland’s Park said he saw Anthony and an unidentified suspect fighting in the restroom. The witness was able to describe the suspect and assisted a forensic artist in creating a sketch of the suspect’s face.
During the investigation, several items of evidence were submitted to the Santa Clara County Crime Laboratory for DNA testing. As a result, a full DNA profile of an unknown male subject was identified and uploaded into the CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) database.
For over a year Sunnyvale detectives diligently continued this investigation and sought to identify the person who killed Anthony Juarez.
On Sept. 20, 2021 detectives were notified by the Santa Clara County Crime Lab that the DNA profile of Jose Luis Salazar (DOB 12/17/1995) matched the uploaded DNA profile of the person suspected of killing Anthony.
Suspect Salazar had recently been arrested for the attempted murder of his father on Aug. 12, 2021, in Hollister, CA. In accordance with state law, a sample of Salazar’s DNA was obtained at the time of his arrest. Once the sample was placed in the CODIS database it matched the DNA profile of the suspect in this investigation.
On Dec. 13, 2021, a warrant was signed for the arrest of Jose Luis Salazar for the murder of Anthony Juarez. Salazar remains in custody in San Benito County for the attempted murder of his father.
Anyone with additional information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Corrine Abernathy at (408) 730-7100.