The scant details about a fatal shooting and a second body subsequently found inside a burning home in Santa Clara last week told none of the story, which actually involves a man secretly renting a home next door to his estranged brother before allegedly killing him.
Santa Clara police released details Thursday in the bizarre, targeted murder and apparent suicide that happened on the 600 block of Enright Avenue on Friday, May 8. Matthew Heflin, 49, reportedly had traveled from Bloomfield, Indiana in recent weeks, stayed in San Jose, and was carrying around $95,000 in cash. He then rented a home, unbeknownst to his estranged brother Mark Heflin, 52, next door to his brother at some point recently.
On Friday at 12:24 pm, Santa Clara police received multiple reports of gunfire on Enright Avenue, and arriving officers found Mark Heflin "suffering from multiple gunshot wounds outside of his residence," as Santa Clara Police Chief Cory Morgan explained at a Thursday press conference.
Officers reported hearing gunfire nearby as they performed lifesaving measures on Heflin, and then quickly saw heavy smoke coming from a house next door to Heflin's.
Police initiated a large-scale public-safety response as the gunfire continued, evacuating nearby homes, and neighbors said they continued to hear sounds consistent with gunfire coming from the direction of the homes, and see ongoing "activity" inside the burning home, according to Morgan.
Drones and tactical personnel were deployed as police continued to secure the neighborhood, and it's not clear how or when the firefight began at the burning home, given the situation. Police and firefighters did not discover the body inside the home, identified as Matthew Heflin, until later that night, due to safety and structural concerns.
Investigators reportedly found that Matthew Heflin had traveled to California by rental car, carrying multiple firearms and ammunition, and that he told a friend in Indiana he was going to Colorado. He ultimately arrived in the San Jose area around April 14, according to financial records.
Matthew Heflin then rented the home next door to his brother's via a short-term rental service, beginning last Tuesday, three days prior to the attack. And investigators found that he ordered delivery of manufactured fire-starter logs to the property during those three days.
On Friday, he reportedly approached Mark Heflin in his driveway, as he was retrieving something from his car, holding a handgun covered in a paper bag. Matthew Heflin then allegedly shot the victim, his brother, at least 12 times before retreating into a side yard, from where he allegedly fired more shots at the victim's home and vehicle, before fleeing back into the rental home and lighting it on fire.
"Although investigators have reconstructed the major events of this incident with substantial confidence, the detectives continue working to fully understand the circumstances and motivations that led to this tragedy," Morgan said.
Investigators so far only know that the two brothers had been estranged for at least three years, and that Matthew Heflin concealed his plans to travel to California from those closest to him. Authorities in Bloomington, Indiana have served a search warrant at his home there, but so far no note or explanation has been found, either in Santa Clara or there. Authorities continue to investigate electronic devices, and Morgan said "any further speculation regarding motive would be premature."
Mark Heflin leaves behind a wife and children, and Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gilmoor spoke at Thursday's new conference saying, "A husband is gone, a father is gone, and no words from any of us can fill that absence."
The investigation is ongoing, and Chief Morgan said that further updates would be provoded as necessary.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Bell at 408-615-4814 or email him at [email protected]. Alternatively, those who wish to remain nameless can leave a message on the SCPD anonymous tip line at (408) 615-4TIP (4847).
