A term of 15 years to life in prison has been handed down to a 21-year-old man who chased a high school friend and stabbed him 31 times in an Eastlake townhome complex.
Saul Johnathan Orozco, 21, was ordered to pay $4,451 in funeral expenses for Carlos Gutierrez, 18, who was killed on Aug. 4, 2015.
Orozco pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers gave him credit for spending 21 months in jail before sentencing.
Chula Vista Police responded to a 5:44 p.m. call in the 2800 block of Cielo Circulo in which people reported a man being chased by another man who had blood on him.
A deputy medical examiner testified in the preliminary hearing that Gutierrez had 31 stab wounds including a nick to his carotid artery. She said a knife penetrated his skull and another wound to his arm broke the bone with significant force.
Gutierrez and other friends were at Gutierrez’s home when Orozco had a disagreement with him. He chased him while holding a kitchen knife.
Members of the victim’s family attended the sentencing. Several witnesses said they were traumatized for seeing the murder.
Orozco would not surrender to police so a police dog was used to take him into custody. A torture charge earlier brought against him was dismissed.
