By LAUREN HALLIGAN
News Editor
and JACKSON WANG
Executive Editor
Albany police have released the name of the victim that was found dead in a Western Avenue apartment last week.
Albany Police spokesman Ptl. Steve Smith identified the victim as 26-year-old Caleb Capen, a resident at 326 Western Ave., where the homicide occurred.
Police were investigating a reported broken window on the exterior door at 326 Western ave. last Wednesday, one building east of the Saint Rose security department building, when they found Capen, who died from injuries sustained in a physical altercation.
According to the police report, Caleb was lying face down with pooled blood surrounding his head when officers discovered his body in the bathroom. Smith said he did not know if weapons were used in the alleged homicide. A forensics investigation unit determined that the death was a homicide.
Hours after the police responded and investigated the situation, they arrested Oscar Valcarcel, 41, of Albany and charged him with burglary and petty larceny. He is still only facing those two charges.
No other arrests or new charges have been made.
Smith said the investigation is still ongoing.
Capen was on a five-year probation sentence when he died, after he spent six months in jail a few years ago. According to a February 2010 police report, Capen drowned his cat Prince in a bathroom tub before setting the dead cat on fire and was charged with torturing animals and aggravated cruelty to animals. He later plead guilty to felony of animal cruelty and was sentence to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison, according to reports by Times Union and WNYT.
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. A for rent sign was placed in front of the building on Wednesday for one of the apartment units as well.
In regards to Capen, “He was a very nice man,” his landlord stated. “He was actually very thoughtful,” she added, mentioning that he helped her out with something a few weeks ago.
A funeral service was held on Tuesday for Capen at the Niskayuna Wesleyan Church.
The landlord said it is a good thing that the security camera 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 about if Collins was a tenant, she hung up the phone.
Last week 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 apartment.
Collins’ former one bedroom apartment is now for rent.
DH, who has lived in the building for almost two years, also suspected that Capen had a mental illness.
