No ‘loose ends’: San Jose triple homicide stemmed from domestic violence, authorities say

SAN JOSE — A man jailed and charged with fatally shooting a woman he was dating, along with her roommate and another man, in a violent episode at a South San Jose apartment, was under police scrutiny after the woman accused him of assaulting her over two days prior to the killings, authorities have revealed in new court filings.

The shooting suspect, 27-year-old Joseph Vicencio, reportedly told an acquaintance that he “couldn’t have any ‘loose ends’ and people talking about him” shortly before he went over to the woman’s apartment early Tuesday and unleashed a torrent of gunfire that ended three lives.

According to a criminal complaint filed Friday by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Vicencio was charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of Tarrah Lynn Taylor, 27; Jeannessa Caillean Lurie, 24; and Max Chavez Ryan, 27.

A probable cause affidavit written by San Jose police detectives stated that Taylor was in a romantic relationship with Vicencio, and that Lurie was her roommate. Ryan’s connection to the group was not detailed in the court document.

The three murder counts each carry maximum sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and are accompanied by nine charging enhancements for allegations including using a gun, dissuading a witness and having prior convictions. Vicencio was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, and for two separate domestic violence assaults alleged to have occurred on Sept. 14 and 15, preceding the Sept. 16 shootings.

Vicencio is being held without bail in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, and was scheduled for arraignment Friday afternoon. He was arrested early Wednesday based on video surveillance images and two witnesses who claimed to know Vicencio and recounted their interactions with him before and after the shootings, the detectives wrote.

One of the witnesses told police that Vicencio was anxious about being in trouble with the law after he allegedly punched Taylor in the torso on Sept. 15, and the subsequent police response found bruising on her neck indicating that Vicencio choked her the day before. The two reported assaults account for misdemeanor and felony assault charges filed against Vicencio.

During one conversation with the witness, Vicencio implied that he was going to silence Taylor and Lurie, and after the shootings, Vicencio reportedly used the witness’s computer to “search for information about San Jose murders.”

A second witness, as described by the detectives, reported getting a call from Vicencio about seven hours after the shootings in which he said “he was in trouble with police and had issues with where he lived and needed help.” The witness claimed to have confronted Vicencio about the killings, prompting Vicencio to reportedly tell the witness “there was an issue with a male at the apartment but he handled it.”

Gunfire and the sound of a woman screaming prompted a 911 call at 12:26 a.m. Tuesday from the 200 block of Chynoweth Avenue. The police affidavit stated that responding officers went to an apartment building and found Taylor outside “bleeding profusely from multiple gunshots.”

Officers went inside and found two more victims, Lurie and Ryan. Lurie was pronounced dead at the scene; Taylor and Ryan died later that morning after being taken to a hospital. Police recovered multiple .40 caliber bullet casings from the crime scene.

The affidavit states that surveillance video from the area recorded someone later identified as Vicencio entering the apartment and fleeing immediately after the gunfire. Vicencio was seen with a distinct satchel that one of the witnesses said concealed a firearm that he carried, and that witness reported that Vicencio was not carrying the satchel after the shootings.

Ryan worked for the city’s housing department as a member of the Homelessness Response Outreach Team, and was “a valued member of our work family,” according to a Facebook post from the department.

“His commitment to the people of San Jose, and in particular the most vulnerable among us, exemplified the thoughtful, caring human he was,” the post read. “He will be remembered not only for his professional contributions, but also for his kindness, compassion, and spirit.”

Lurie graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay in 2024 with degrees in humanities and communications, and she worked as a dog trainer at Bite Club K9 in Monterey, according to her Facebook and LinkedIn pages. She attended Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, graduating in 2019, according to her LinkedIn page.

“We love you and the sunshine that surrounded you, and now lights the heavens,” one commenter wrote on her Facebook page Wednesday.