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Valencia Man Accused Of Strangling Boyfriend Returns To Court

A Valencia man accused of strangling his boyfriend to death appeared in court on Tuesday.

Christian Ortiz, 24, is suspected of strangling Brayan “Brian” Rodriguez, 20, and hiding his body at a Valencia home in September 2017, according to Ricardo Santiago, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The couple had been arguing the last time Rodriguez was seen, according to Rodriguez’s family.

His family went on to initially report him missing on Sept. 22, 2017.

Several days later, a search party was sent out to attempt to find Rodriguez, at which time Ortiz identified himself to a KHTS reporter as the victim’s boyfriend.

Rodriguez was eventually found later that day, dead inside of Ortiz’s Valencia home.

Deputies then arrested Ortiz the following morning in connection with the murder, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.

Ortiz pleaded not guilty in February 2018 at the San Fernando Superior Court. If convicted, he faces a maximum life sentence in state prison.

If convicted, Ortiz could face up to a maximum life sentence in state prison.

In the meantime, Ortiz continues to be held at the Men’s Central Jail in lieu of a $2 million bail.

Ortiz is scheduled to return to court on Saturday, July 28 for a pretrial hearing. 

 


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Valencia Man Accused Of Strangling Boyfriend Returns To Court

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About Grace Halaby

Grace Halaby is a Washington State native currently attending The Master’s University and will graduate in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications- Creative Writing and Publishing. She joined the KHTS News Team in February 2021 and when Grace isn’t writing or studying, she can be found reading, or exploring California with her husband Peyton.