A man suspected of killing his boyfriend in Valencia returned to court on Tuesday for a pretrial hearing.
Christian Ortiz, 24, is charged with the 2017 murder of Brayan Rodriguez. He is set to return to the courthouse once again on Aug. 17.
Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of murder in the early morning hours on Sept. 25, 2017.
Rodriguez’s body was found inside a closet in a house on the 23600 block of Via Valer, near Valencia Glen Park, the day before.
Rodriguez, who was 20 years old at the time of his death, was reported missing on Sept. 22, 2017, resulting in a number of searches to find him throughout the weekend.
Ortiz’s trial has been a long process, with a number of delays and postponements pushing any appearance in front of a jury further and further back.
In October 2018, after Ortiz’s preliminary hearing was postponed four times, a judge ruled that Ortiz should stand trial for the murder.
Ortiz remains in custody in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility with bail set at $2 million.
