Inset: Jose Miranda Jr. (Fresno County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area near where Miranda allegedly stabbed his brother to death in Selma, Calif. (Google Maps).
A California man was arrested after he stabbed and killed his younger brother with a large knife, authorities reported.
Jose Miranda Jr., 23, faces a charge of murder in connection with the death of his 19‑year‑old brother, Diego Miranda, according to a press release from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred on Monday, September 21, at a residence on East Saginaw Avenue in Selma, a city located approximately 16 miles southwest of Fresno in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Deputies arrived at the home around 11 a.m. in response to a report of an injury and discovered the victim with multiple stab wounds. The younger Miranda was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prosecutors disclosed during a hearing that the attack took place while the brothers’ parents were escorting their youngest child to school, according to a courtroom report by Fresno‑based ABC affiliate KFSN.
Law enforcement stated that the parents returned home later that morning to find their household in chaos, blood, and deception.
“When they asked him what happened,” one prosecutor told the court this week, referring to the defendant, “he initially talked about a rabid animal, then tried to claim self‑defense.”
The defense asserted that the stabbing followed a confrontation between the two brothers, though prosecutors have not yet disclosed a motive for the alleged murder.
The state provided further details, indicating that Miranda used a “Rambo‑style knife” to stab his brother in the abdomen.
The defense pleaded for the defendant’s release, arguing that his family frequently depends on him to babysit younger siblings.
“He was working 20 to 30 hours per week prior to this incident,” a defense attorney told the court. “He additionally takes care of his little brothers because his parents are usually working.”
The state rejected that argument, emphasizing that the victim was one of Miranda’s younger siblings.
“Quite frankly, it is an appalling representation by Mr. Miranda that he previously cared for his little brothers, given that the decedent was one of those brothers,” a prosecutor said.
The defense contended that the violence was an isolated event and requested monitored release.
“I think this is an isolated incident,” the defense attorney said. “We could provide pre‑trial services, anger‑management counseling, and GPS monitoring.”
The prosecutor countered, stating, “I believe he constitutes a substantial public‑safety and flight risk in this case.”
Ultimately, the judge sided with the state and denied the request for release.
“I find that he poses a danger to the community and to the rest of his family if he were to care for them, based on the facts presented to this court,” Superior Court Judge Stephanie Negin ruled at the plea hearing.
The defendant will remain detained in the Fresno County Jail, with bail set at over $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court again on November 4.
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