SAN JOSE — Two men have been arrested in last month’s slaying of a homeless man whose body was found in a Lowe’s parking lot next to his vehicle, according to San Jose police.
Randolph Sandoval, 53, and Roman Alvarado, 40, both of San Jose, were arrested Wednesday in connection with the Oct. 10 death of 55-year-old Jeffrey Cooper in the lot off Ridder Park Drive in North San Jose.
Both suspects have been charged with murder after they allegedly stabbed Cooper to death, police said. A motive for the killing was not released.
Cooper, a native of Washington state, was found not breathing by a passer-by the night of Oct. 10, next to a Pontiac Aztec that friends said belonged to him. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
It marked San Jose’s ninth homicide involving a homeless victim. Whether that is a pronounced rate, and if there are new factors that make an already vulnerable way of life more dangerous, are being assessed by the city’s homelessness experts.
Anyone with information about the case can contact Detective Sgt. John Barg or Detective Wayne Smith at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or with svcrimestoppers.org.
