By Alex Horton
And
Vanessa Langdon
Staff Writers
—
The homeless man convicted of murder during a robbery on Western Avenue was sentenced to prison in Albany County State Supreme Court before Judge Rodger D. McDonough
Oscar Valcarcel, 41, was convicted and found guilty in September of this year of two counts of murder in the first degree and three counts of murder in the second degree, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison this morning in Albany County Supreme Court before Judge Rodger D. McDonough. Valcarcel murdered Capen in an attempted burglary on Dec. 3, 2013. According to Steve Smith of the Albany Police Department, Capen was found lying face down in a pool of his own blood in his bedroom. Hours after police began investigating the scene they arrested Valcarcel and charged him with burglary and petty larceny.
This is not the first case that the Albany Police Department has responded to at the apartment building on Western Avenue. According to records provided by Albany police there have been three calls to the property since September of this year. The records show that two weeks ago, Oct. 20, the police were called to an apartment in the building for an attempted suicide. The report states that a resident had “been stabbing himself in the chest” as well as cutting himself and had removed his pacemaker. The resident suffers from schizophrenia and personality disorder, according to the reporting officer’s narrative.
The report also states that the resident does have a supportive living manager. Two weeks prior to the attempted suicide, police reported to the property after a resident’s mental health counselor alerted the police that a resident was “barricading himself into his apartment because people were coming to get him.” The 59-year-old resident was arrested for his safety due to a history of mental illness and having stabbed himself in the past. The same 59-year-old resident was arrested for his safety on Sept.15 of this year.
The reporting officer stated the resident was “an emotional disturbed person who locked himself in his apartment and is stabbing himself.” The report further states that the resident said he wanted to kill himself and cut his chest with a steak knife.
“There’s not much but they all have to do with mental illness.” said Albany PIO Steve Smith when delivering these documents.
