California stabbing suspect arrested after posting video of the fatal attack online, police say

A California man is accused of fatally stabbing a woman and posting video of the killing on Facebook, San Mateo police said Thursday.

The investigation started after someone in Nye County, Nevada, reported having seen the video to Nye County authorities, San Mateo police said.

That person provided the name and phone number of the person who posted it, which led police to the San Francisco Bay Area city. After almost three hours of searching, officers found a woman dead in a unit at a large apartment complex, police said.

Mark Merchikoff, 39, was arrested in San Jose, around 20 miles southeast of San Mateo, police said.

San Mateo police said Merchikoff knew the victim, whose name was not released. A motive was under investigation and was not known Thursday, police said.

“We do know Merchikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area,” police said in a statement.

Merchikoff was arrested on suspicion of homicide, police said. Online court records did not appear to show a case for him Thursday night.

It was not clear Thursday night whether Merchikoff had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

“It’s pretty hideous what that video contained,” San Mateo police spokesman Jerami Surratt said, according to NBC Bay Area.

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Phil Helsel

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.