By JACKSON WANG
Executive Editor
The Albany District Attorney’s office announced last week that an Albany man has been arraigned on murder charges in connection with the Western Avenue apartment homicide back in early December.
Oscar Valcarcel, 41, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. The Albany District Attorney said Valcarcel is being charged for the murder that occurred at 326 Western Ave. last month.
The resident of the Western Avenue apartment, 26-year-old Caleb Capen, was found dead lying face down with pooled blood surrounding his head in the bathroom, according to a police report. Police believed Capen died from injuries sustained in a physical altercation.
The district attorney said the alleged incident occurred sometime between 9 a.m. on Dec. 3 and 3 p.m. on Dec. 4, when Valcarcel murdered Capen while committing a burglary and robbery at the residence.
Albany police first arrived to investigate a reported broken window on the exterior door at the apartment, which is one building east of the Saint Rose security department building, when they found Capen’s body.
Police were not sure if weapons were used in the alleged homicide, but a forensics investigation unit determined that the death was a homicide. Hours after the police responded and investigated the situation, they arrested Valcarcel and charged him with burglary and petty larceny.
The Albany District Attorney’s office didn’t state how they determined to charge Valcarcel with murder. The District Attorney’s office also didn’t return phone calls when more information was requested.
Valcarcel was arraigned before Honorable Judge McDonough in Albany County Court last Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.
He remains in jail without bail. Major Offenses Unit Bureau Chief Eric Galarneau is handling the prosecution of this case.
The landlord of 326 Western Ave. from Hyjinks LLC, who neglected to provide her name, said “I don’t really know anything about the investigation,” though she later stated that she was in the apartment with detectives on Dec. 10.
The landlord said it is a good thing that the security cameras located on the corner of Partridge Street and Western Avenue were running at the time of the incident.
In October, Anthony Collins was arrested and charged with kidnapping and possession of a weapon after attempting to abduct a female college student at the corner of Western Avenue and O’Leary Boulevard, directly across from 326 Western Ave. There was speculation that Collins was a resident in the building.
When a reporter from The Chronicle inquired whether Collins was a tenant, the landlord hung up the phone.
Last month, a neighbor, Sifat Anwar, said he believes Collins was a former resident at 326 Western Ave. before his arrest. “I spoke to a few friends and they said this house in general is sketchy,” Anwar said a few days after the homicide occurred.
A resident of 326 Western Ave, who identified himself as DH, confirmed that Anthony Collins did live in the basement apartment on the north side of the building. He also believes that Collins was running a crack house from the apartment because of the smells and visitors Collins would see outside the building.
DH, who has lived in the building for almost two years, also suspected that Capen had a mental illness.
