Roommate To Stand Trial For Murder After Man, Cats Found Dead

CATHEDRAL CITY, CA — A 41-year-old man accused of killing his roommate and the victim's pets in their Cathedral City apartment must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled Friday.

Joseph Ortega allegedly killed Jova Saint Ives Geller on Halloween 2022.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge James Stafford Hawkins found there was sufficient evidence to bound Ortega over for trial on first-degree murder and a sentence-enhancing firearm allegation.

The judge, however, dismissed two felony animal cruelty counts against the defendant.

Hawkins scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for April 26 at the Indio courthouse.

The defendant is being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to the Cathedral City Police Department, shortly after 10 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2022, officers were called to the Pickfair Apartments at 36700 Pickfair St., near Monty Hall Drive, to investigate reports of a man down.

Police said that Geller was located inside an apartment with obvious trauma to his head and neck.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by Cathedral City Fire Department paramedics.

Geller's two cats were also found dead in the residence, slain by unspecified means.

Ortega was detained in the apartment without incident and questioned by homicide detectives, culminating in his being arrested without incident two hours later.

A possible motive for the alleged attack was not disclosed.

Ortega has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.