San Mateo Police Department

San Mateo Woman Allegedly Kills Neighbor With Baseball Bat, Turns Herself in

A San Mateo woman turned herself in Saturday night after allegedly killing her neighbor with a baseball bat, police said.

According to police, the suspect, identified as Brenda Martinez, went to the San Mateo Police Department at 8:30 p.m. and approached officers in the front lobby.

A department statement said that Martinez, 40, not only "alerted officers" but also "implicated herself as a suspect" in the homicide.

Officers responded to a residence on the first block of N. Claremont St. where they found an unresponsive 66-year-old woman. The victim experienced "obvious head trauma," the statement said, adding that she was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Police said that detectives have the weapon - the baseball bat, adding that all the evidence indicates that Martinez is the "sole suspect in this crime."

Police believe that the homicide is an isolated incident. They aren’t on the lookout for other suspects and don’t believe there is ongoing danger to the community.

The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office will not release the victim’s name until her family has been notified. 

This is San Mateo’s first homicide in 2015.

People with information about this incident can call dispatch at 650-522-7700 or the Secret Witness Line at 650-522-7676.

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