A Valencia man accused of strangling his boyfriend to death back in September returned to court Monday and had his trial continued, the latest in a series of continuations.

Prosecutors hope to prove that Christian Ortiz, 21, killed Brayan “Brian” Rodriguez, 20, and hid his body for days while publicly joining a search party for the missing man.

Investigators believe that Ortiz killed Rodriguez, his boyfriend, in September 2017. Rodriguez’s family said the couple had been arguing the last time the murdered man had been seen. They reported him missing Sept. 22.

Two days later, on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 24, a search party was sent out to find Rodriguez. At the time, Ortiz introduced himself to a KHTS reporter as the victim’s boyfriend.

Later that day, investigators found Rodriguez dead inside Ortiz’s Valencia home, and charged Ortiz with the murder early Monday morning, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.

Ortiz pleaded not guilty in February at the San Fernando Superior Court. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

He is currently being held at the Twin Tower Correctional Facility with a $2 million bail.

Ortiz is due back in court on May 30 for another preliminary setting.

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