A judge on Monday ordered a carjacking suspect to stand trial for attempted murder in a case where a woman was cut with an object with metal spikes on Paradise Valley Road.
The woman and several other witnesses testified regarding an Oct. 26, 2013, encounter with Jesse Alan Gutierrez, 46, around 5:30 a.m. while she was walking toward her workplace.
She said the man demanded her car keys before she was cut in the neck.
The woman did not surrender her car keys and was later taken to a hospital. She had just parked her car on Paradise Valley Round south of Woodman Street when Gutierrez approached her.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeff Fraser also ordered Gutierrez to stand trial for attempted carjacking, three counts of robbery and attempted robbery. He ordered Gutierrez to next appear in court on April 7 to set a trial date.
San Diego Police detective Troy Owens and other witnesses testified about a metal object that contained sharp nails that Gutierrez used as a weapon.
Gutierrez’s attorney, Stewart Dadmun, argued unsuccessfully that the premeditation allegation with the attempted murder charge be dropped, saying there was no evidence of his client planning the attack.Fraser denied the motion at the end of the preliminary hearing.
Gutierrez remains in jail on $2 million bail and he has pleaded not guilty.
