A teenager who chased and stabbed his friend in a Chula Vista condo complex almost two years ago will spend 15 years to life in prison.
The brutal attack took place on August 4, 2015 in the Casa Lago condo complex. Several witnesses described a "trail of blood" and a horrific scene.
Saul Orozco pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder in the death of Carlos Gutierrez. However, the motive for the attack still is not known.
The victim and Orozco were friends and were hanging out with others before the incident, one of the friends testified at a pretrial hearing.
The friend recalled that Orozco was acting so odd, Gutierrez asked him to leave.
"He began throwing rocks from the patio at us," the friend testified.
"He didn't seem like Saul he was acting different it wasn't the Saul I knew," he added.
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Gutierrez, was chased down and stabbed to death inside one of the units.
Orozco followed the victim, straddled him and stabbed him to death with a 9-inch kitchen knife, investigators told NBC 7.
Orozco, who was 19 at the time, attempted to flee from the scene after the incident occurred but was caught by police about a quarter of a mile away.
After Orozco serves 15 years, his case will be re-evaluated to decide whether to give him a life term.
The Casa Lago complex is located near the Otay Lakes Reservoir and the Olympic Training Center in the Eastlake community of Chula Vista.
