A U.S. Marine was arrested Friday night in California’s Camp Pendleton in connection with the murder of a man whose body was found zipped up inside a sleeping bag in the back seat of a parked car in Fallbrook last month.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, suspect Kevin Albert Richard Coset was taken into custody shortly after 5 p.m. for the murder of Alvin Bulaoro, 24.

Bulaoro was found dead inside a 1997 Toyota 4Runner that was parked in front of the Albertson’s supermarket in the 1100 block of South Mission Road on Jan. 3. Homicide investigators said his body showed signs of trauma and deemed his death suspicious in nature.

Bulaoro had been reported missing by his family and was last seen on Dec. 21, 2012.

Bulaoro’s family pleaded for investigators to find his killer.

“I want justice for my son,” his mother, Josephine Bulaoro, told NBC 7 in an interview back in January.

Bulaoro was enlisted in the Navy for four years. He worked as a human resources officer at Camp Pendleton, helping Marines with pay, benefits and housing issues.

During that time, he got his bachelor's degree. After leaving the Navy, Bulaoro became a lieutenant in the Army.

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He returned from training in Texas in November and was set to participate in a ceremony for his commission on Jan. 12 in Los Angeles.

"He told me, 'Mom you're going to be very proud of me,'" his mother previously told NBC 7.

Bulaoro’s brother told NBC 7 the family had hired a private investigator to search for Bulaoro. The private investigator is the person who told the family that Bulaoro’s car had been spotted in the Albertson’s parking lot on Jan. 3.

According to the sheriff’s department, Coset is a corporal in the Marine Corps.

He was taken into custody Friday with the help of NCIS agents and charged with the murder of Bulaoro.

Officials have not released any further details. The motive for the murder remains unknown.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A naked man holding a "Samurai"-type sword was arrested after a bizarre New Year's Day standoff with police.

Authorities were called to Ezie Street and Cas Drive in San Jose after several people called 911 to report a man standing in front of a home with an assault rifle just after 8 a.m. local time (11 a.m. ET).

As police rushed to the scene, witnesses said the man got in a car and drove to Southwest Expressway and Bascom Avenue. That's where police pulled him over.

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Police said the suspect immediately got out of his car and started yelling, "You're going to have to kill me."

He was naked and holding a large "Samurai"-type sword, according to police.

One witness told NBC Bay Area that the man was pacing back and forth waving the sword at times.

San Jose Police Department "Crisis Intervention Team" members were called to the scene and a standoff began.

Coco Bennett, 29, was taken into custody without incident just before 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).

Police said he would be evaluated by doctors.

An AR-15-type assault rifle was recovered, according to police.

SAN DIEGO -- A man accused of abandoning more than 30 animals – including a python snake – at an out-of-business pet store in Lemon Grove has pleaded guilty to charges of animal neglect and cruelty.

The San Diego Humane Society announced Friday that Charles Mendoza pleaded guilty to felony animal neglect.

In August, Mendoza allegedly abandoned more than 30 animals at Dave's Family Feed Store.

A python snake, several reptiles, 16 birds, 11 chickens and some rodents were found inside the shop after the SPCA and San Diego Humane Society received complaints that the store had allegedly permanently closed for business and live animals were left inside.

Six animals died inside the store. The SPCA's law enforcement agency said the other abandoned animals were housed in unhealthy conditions, left behind without water.

The San Diego Humane Society helped lead the animal cruelty investigation.

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According to investigators, Mendoza served one month in jail and has been ordered to pay restitution to the San Diego Humane Society.

He's also not permitted to own an animal for 10 years.

Investigators say there is still an outstanding arrest warrant for another suspect allegedly involved in this animal neglect case.

Anyone with information on this case or any other crimes against animals is asked to contact the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement at (619) 243-3466.

Video has emerged of a horrific crash in which a tow-truck driver was killed by an oncoming train as he was working to clear a stranded vehicle near the tracks in Southern California.

Shaun William Riddle, 27, was struck by a southbound Amtrak train in Cardiff at about 2:35 p.m. PT (5:35 a.m. ET) Saturday while he tried to hook up the vehicle to his truck. 

The father of two children had been called to the area to help a disabled SUV that had stalled just west of the tracks. 

The county medical examiner reported that Riddle got back into his truck and tried to move it out of the train’s path.

He could not move the truck in time and the train struck the truck at a high rate of speed, officials said.

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A witness who caught the incident on video said the train crossing arm dropped on the SUV and a moment later, the train slammed into the tow truck.

The video shows the truck driver’s door closing and then the truck turning away from the train just moments before the collision.

Horrific sound
It’s unclear how fast the train was traveling at impact, but it came to a stop about half a mile away from the crossing. The crash is under investigation.

The sound of the fatal crash was horrific, witness Thomas Neely, who works across the street from the train tracks, told NBCSanDiego.com.

“It's somewhere between an explosion and thunder. You know, when metal hits metal it makes a noise unto itself,” Neely said.

Another witness said the driver was ejected from his tow truck and thrown some 100 yards from the crash site.

Pieces of the truck were strewn around the train tracks for hundreds of yards, including the flatbed, a wheel and even the massive engine block. which landed about 200 yards away.