A man accused of strangling his boyfriend in a Valencia home returned to court Tuesday.
Christian Ortiz, 23, is charged with the murder of Brayan Rodriguez, 20, whose body was found inside the closest of a home located on the 23600 block of Via Valer near Valencia Glen Park.
After his appearance on Tuesday, Ortiz was ordered to return to court on July 19 for a preliminary hearing, said Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Ortiz’s trial had been postponed more than four times before he was told by a judge in October of last year that he would have to stand trial for murder. Ortiz was arrested by Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies on suspicion of the murder on Sept. 25, 2017, less than 12 hours after Rodriguez’s body was found.
Rodriguez had been reported missing on Sept. 22, 2017, resulting in a number of searches being conducted throughout the weekend in order to find him.
Ortiz is being held at Twin Towers Correctional Facility, with bail set at $2 million.
