Home » Santa Clarita News » Breaking News » Valencia Murder Victim Identified By Coroner
A Valencia murder victim who was found strangled in a Valencia home Sunday was identified by the Coroner’s Office.

Valencia Murder Victim Identified By Coroner

A Valencia murder victim who was found strangled in a Valencia home Sunday was identified by the Coroner’s Office.


Sponsored Articles


Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Medical examiners identified the murder victim as Brayan Jose Rodriguez, 20, of Valencia. His autopsy is still pending, but homicide detectives suspected the cause of death to be strangulation based on the preliminary evidence.

Deputies reportedly found Rodriguez dead inside a home at the 23600 block of Via Valer around 4 p.m., when deputies and fire officials responded Sunday evening.

Christian Ortiz, 21, who reportedly lived at the residence where Rodriguez was found, was arrested on a murder charge at 3 a.m. Monday morning, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.

Rodriguez was a tutor for the MESA program at College of the Canyons before getting accepted into University of California, San Diego. He was scheduled to start classes in San Diego on Monday, according to several sources.

Associated Student Government, MESA representatives and friends of Rodriguez are organizing a vigil at College of the Canyons from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday evening.

For more information about the vigil, Click here.

Homicide detectives said the evidence and interviews suggest that Rodriguez died at the hands of another, and that they believe Ortiz is responsible for his death.

Witnesses also reported to KHTS News that a man was put in handcuffs near the residence around 5 p.m that same day.

Rodriguez was last seen arguing with Ortiz, according to information released by the family.

Ortiz identified himself to a KHTS reporter as Rodriguez’ boyfriend on Sunday. That morning a search party went out to find Rodriguez, who had been missing for several hours.


As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for KHTS email and text alerts today!

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Valencia Murder Victim Identified By Coroner

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Aaron Lanuza

Aaron Lanuza is a print and broadcast journalist who has graduated from California State University Northridge with an Bachelors Degree in Journalism. Aaron Lanuza, a San Fernando Valley native, is currently a staff writer/reporter. As a multi-media reporter, Aaron is very involved with news gathering for written, radio and video broadcast.