The widow of a Los Gatos man shot to death inside his home said she was suffering over the fact that her husband died in a "terrible act of violence."
She made that statement several hours before the Prius driver suspected of killing him - a convicted burglar and robber who was last arrested for shoplifting from Macy's - was charged Friday afternoon with two counts of murder following what prosecutors are calling a fatal home invasion.
Robert “Bob” Harden was one of two men killed on the same day, just 12 miles apart from each other, in a mysterious and murderous rampage, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Through tears on Friday morning, Marlene Harden confirmed her 52-year-old husband was shot to death on Madrone Drive in Los Gatos on Wednesday. But she said she was in too much of a state of shock to speak and issued a statement and photos instead. She briefly described her husband as a "loving family man" who "tragically lost his life" to a "terrible act of violence."
Marlene Harden asked, through a friend, not to be asked any more questions and referred anyone who wanted to help to a GoFundMe page in her husband's honor.
Meanwhile, Andre Redmon, 43, of San Francisco was charged Friday with the deaths of Harden and his unidentified accomplice, who died at some point after the two zoomed off from Harden's home in Los Gatos in a Prius along Highway 17. The Prius crashed, which is when deputies took Redmon into custody. Inside the Prius, deputies said they found a "to do" list, which included Redmon's address and a reminder to buy bullets.
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In addition, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office investigative report submitted to prosecutors said Redmon and his accomplice bound and gagged Harden's son and a family friend, then shot Harden while demanding money. Those two were injured and taken to the hospital.
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Redmon did not enter a plea and was ordered to return to court on May 31. He is being held without bail.
On Thursday, Redmon was going to give an interview, and then changed his mind, to speak with NBC Bay Area from jail, saying he wanted to tell his story to an attorney. Deputies had booked him on suspicion of two counts of murder, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of kidnapping for robbery and one count of burglary. It's not clear why prosecutors didn't charge Redmon with anything but murder on Friday.
The prosecutor didn't divulge a motive, but described the horror of the crime.
"What I can say is this was a violent home invasion that took place," Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Chris Walsh said.
Redmon, a Balboa High School graduate, has a string of past robbery and burglary convictions, according to court documents, stretching back to 1992. His most recent arrest was for attempted burglary arrest in October 2015 from the Macy's in San Francisco. In that case, he tried running away, but tripped, with the stolen merchandise falling on top of him, records show. He pleaded guilty to felony attempted commercial burglary in that case and got three years probation. He also has two April 1993 robbery convictions, also from San Francisco and a 2012 strike for residential burglary, which landed him a two-year prison conviction, records show.
His probation report shows that he had been arrested on several more occasions, in cities including Oakland and Redwood City for other offenses including battery, drug and petty theft, and was listed as a high risk for "violent recidivism."
Family friends told NBC Bay Area they weren't sure if Redmon knew Harden before the home invasion.
And so Redmon's connection to Harden, whose Facebook page shows him as a Harley Davidson enthusiast, a lover of the outdoors and a family man, if any, is unclear.
Bob Harden's current LinkedIn profile stated he worked at American HVAC in Campbell. A man who answered the phone there said he knew Harden but declined to speak. Harden listed his hobbies as hunting, fishing, motorcycles, camping and travel.
Neighbor Phil Ditullio, who lives across the street, didn't know Harden all that well. He saw Harden and his buddies take off on weekend motorcycle trips at times.
But mostly what he saw was Harden being a "dedicated dad." Harden's sons were in an advanced baseball camp, Ditullio said, which Harden supported and regularly attended.
"I saw him with his kids all the time," Ditullio said.
