The man arrested by San Diego sheriff’s deputies over the weekend for allegedly killing two people in a San Marcos house fire has a history of violence involving past landlords and roommates, according to court documents.
Luis Alvarado, 33, was arrested Sunday on charges of murder and arson after a midnight fire in the 900 block of Lacebark Street. On Monday, Lt. Juan Marquez confirmed to NBC 7 that Alvarado was a tenant in the house that burned.
The bodies of two people were found after firefighters put out a fire in a two-story house, homicide investigators said Sunday.
The San Diego County Homicide Unit has arrested a man in connection with a deadly residential fire in San Marcos on Sunday. NBC 7 has more on the arrests and criminal charges.
Alvarado was in court just a few weeks ago, on March 15, when his public defender reported that Alvarado was taking his medication (olanzapine), had been seeing his doctor regularly and was managing his mental illness.
According to WebMD, the antipsychotic Zyprexa, the brand name for olanzapine, is commonly prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
There were two criminal cases pending against Alvarado in North County at the time of the fire, according to court documents. Those cases have been consolidated and charges have been deferred pending the outcome of a mental health diversion plan.
In October 2024 in Oceanside, Alvarado allegedly threatened three of his roommates with a kitchen knife. According to court documents, he threatened to kill them: “The defendant placed the tip of the knife within a few centimeters [name deleted] face and start yelling about ‘gang stuff’ and that he ‘has a body.’ “
Then, on January 15, 2025, Alvarado was arrested after allegedly assaulting a man in Carlsbad. According to court documents, the incident began when a woman who rented an apartment to Alvarado found out he had a criminal record and asked him to move out. After the landlord went to court for a restraining order against Alvarado, he showed up later the same day and punched a man in the eye who was there to protect him. Although the victim did not press charges, Alvarado was accused of making threats, allegedly in French, on the Facebook messaging application.
His threat was translated into English by the prosecutor and he reportedly said, “One day I will make you suffer and die. You f—ing goose. F– you f—ing. I will not forget. [your] house F– FBI.” Alvarado is also suspected of sending another picture of two bombs and a handgun. He is also accused of texting her, “You won’t even feel it if I dry you and peel your f—ing skin.”
Google Street
Google Street A house on Lacebark Street in San Marcos before the fire
According to court documents, he suffers from “schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type” and is being treated by a psychotherapist.
Before this weekend’s event, Alvarado is scheduled to return to court in July for a check-in to see if the diversion plan is working.
By the time firefighters arrived in San Marcos on Saturday night, however, the house was engulfed in flames.
“While working to put out the fire, firefighters found two people dead inside a room on the second floor,” Marquez said in a statement on Sunday. “The San Marcos Fire Department is requesting the sheriff’s bomb/arson unit to conduct a full investigation into the cause and origin of the fire.”
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the identities of the victims or the cause of death, according to Marquez.
Alvarado was booked into the San Diego Central Jail on Sunday and is expected to be arraigned on Thursday in North County Superior Court.
Anyone with information about this fire is urged to contact the sheriff’s homicide unit at 858-285-6330. Anonymous tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
With reporting by NBC 7’s Allison Ash —Ed.
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