Woman accused of downtown San Jose nightclub homicide

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — A young woman was booked into jail on murder charges after police identified her as a prime suspect behind a downtown San Jose nightclub stabbing.

The suspected killer is 20-year-old Mercedes Rosales, the San Jose Police Department revealed Wednesday.

The homicide victim, Raymond Orozco, was trying to break up a fight outside the club when he was stabbed to death on July 20, according to his friends. Orozco, 22, was a football player at Chabot College in Hayward, an avid body builder, and was training to become a firefighter.

The killing happened directly in front of several popular San Jose nightclubs on South 2nd Street just before 1 a.m. Friends said Orozco protected a woman who was being attacked.

SJPD officers found the football player suffering from stab wounds and rushed him to a hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

The killer fled from the area before police officers arrived on scene.

Investigators said the fight was recorded on cellphone videos by several “uninvolved bystanders,” and police asked witnesses to come forward.

A second woman, 18-year-old Micaela Van, was identified by detectives as an accessory to murder suspect.

“During the course of the investigation, Detectives identified Mercedes Rosales and Micaela Van as the primary suspects. Detectives obtained arrest warrants and search warrants for the suspects and their associated residences. On August 5, 2025, Homicide Unit Detectives, with assistance from the Covert Response Unit (CRU) and the Violent Crimes Enforcement Team (VCET), located and apprehended suspect Rosales and suspect Micaela in the city of San Jose,” Officer Tanya Hernandez wrote.

Rosales and Van are San Jose residents. Both women were booked into Main Jail in San Jose.

Orozco is remembered as a hard worker who had a big heart. The victim’s friend told KRON4, “He never quit, he never had the easiest life, no handout, and made the most out of every opportunity. He was a little brother to me.”

A GoFundMe page states, “Raymond was taken from us far too soon in a senseless act of violence that has left their family, friends, and community in shock and deep grief. Raymond was a kind soul with a bright smile, a loving and loyal friend, an amazing son.”

His death was the city’s 15th homicide of 2025.

SJPD detectives are still gathering additional evidence. Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact Detective Harrington via email at 4365@sanjoseca.gov, or by calling 408-277-5283.