Alleged stabber gets trial

A judge has set a Dec. 13 murder trial for a 19-year-old man accused of chasing a young man and stabbing him 31 times at an Eastlake townhome complex in 2015.

Saul Johnathan Orozco pleaded not guilty Aug. 9 when he appeared before a Chula Vista Superior Court judge who set the trial date for the murder of Carlos Gutierrez, 18. He also denied committing torture during the slaying.
Orozco was ordered to stand trial for murder April 28 in a preliminary hearing, but the setting of the trial date was put off several times. He remains in jail on $2 million bail.

Deputy District Attorney Kristi Hein said Orozco chased Gutierrez for 100 yards outside Gutierrez’s home with a kitchen knife on Aug. 4, 2015. Gutierrez called for help and was bleeding heavily after being repeatedly stabbed in the 2800 block of Cielo Circulo.

Judge Ana Espana, who conducted the preliminary hearing, said it wasn’t known what started the incident, but that the victim was being stabbed during the chase.

A combination of all the stab wounds caused his death, according to the deputy medical examiner.  Gutierrez’s arm was broken, and the knife penetrated his skull. The victim died within minutes of the injuries.