CHULA VISTA (CNS) - A man who allegedly murdered another man at a Chula Vista hotel pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge.
Jorge Gilberto Rodriguez, 35, is accused of killing 40-year-old Jesse Valdez on April 1 at the Red Roof Inn on Broadway.
Valdez was reported missing about a week later. He was found dead in Jamul last weekend, Chula Vista Police Sgt. Anthony Molina said.
The criminal complaint filed against Rodriguez alleges that a knife was used in Valdez's slaying. He faces up to 86 years to life in state prison if convicted of all counts, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
Rodriguez was already in custody on an unrelated charge when he was booked last week on suspicion of murder in the case. An alleged accomplice, 36- year-old Ally Marie Mistone, was arrested Saturday and is set to be arraigned Wednesday in a Chula Vista courtroom.
Police have not released a suspected motive for the killing.
A missing persons flyer circulated around the time Valdez went missing states that Valdez told his mother on April 1 that "he was heading to Chula Vista to meet up with someone to get some tools back."
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