Man Convicted for Murder at Chula Vista Red Roof Inn Sentenced to 25 Years to Life

A man convicted of fatally stabbing someone in a Chula Vista hotel room in April 2023 was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in state prison.

Jorge Gilberto Rodriguez, 36, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the killing of 40-year-old Jesse Valdez, who prosecutors say was stabbed twice at the Red Roof Inn.

Valdez, an Imperial Beach resident, was reported missing about a week after prosecutors say he went to the hotel on April 1, 2023.

His body was discovered off Skyline Truck Trail in Jamul several weeks later. The body was reportedly wrapped in a comforter with a Red Roof Inn logo.

A missing persons flyer circulated around the time of Valdez’s disappearance 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.”

A motive for the killing was not disclosed, but Deputy District Attorney Amy Colby said in court Friday that the crime involved “the luring of Jesse Valdez” to the Red Roof Inn.

Prosecutors say surveillance footage from the hotel captures Rodriguez entering the room, then leaving a short time later.

Colby said after the killing, Rodriguez went to a casino, where he “enjoyed himself and partied it up,” before buying supplies at a store to clean up the murder scene.

Four other people charged as accomplices have already been sentenced.

City News Service contributed to this report.