KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
The man accused of strangling his boyfriend at a Valencia home in 2017 returned to court on Monday, but had his case pushed back another month by a judge.
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Christian Ortiz, 21, who is suspected of strangling 20-year-old Brayan “Brian” Rodriguez and then hiding the victims body for days, returned to a San Fernando Courtroom on July 9 for a continuance of his pre-trial hearing.
The delay stalls a preliminary hearing for Ortiz, during which prosecutors lay out evidence in the case for the judge to decide if the matter should go to trial.
Investigators believe that Ortiz killed Rodriguez 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.
Within hours, 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 the following 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.
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