A man accused of chasing down and fatally stabbing a friend during an altercation in Eastlake last summer must stand trial on murder and torture charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Saul Jonathan Orozco, 20, is charged in the Aug. 4 stabbing death of 18- year-old Carlos Gutierrez.
After a daylong preliminary hearing, Judge Ana Espana ruled that enough evidence was presented for Orozco to proceed to trial.
Witnesses said the victim ran from his attacker and tried to seek refuge in a home on Cielo Circulo — near the Olympic Training Center — about 6 p.m. Orozco allegedly followed Gutierrez into the home and stabbed him to death. A motive was not clear.
A Superior Court arraignment was set for June 30.
–City News Service
