A gay man was ordered April 16 to stand trial for murder in the stabbing death of a man he dated in National City, and for attacking another man who tried to stop the murder.

Fernando Valenzuela, 46, was ordered to stand trial for the July 1, 2007, slaying of Arturo Ponce, 28, who was stabbed 28 times around 5:15 a.m. and was found on an Alpha Street sidewalk in National City.

Ponce was stabbed approximately 20 times in the back, according to testimony in the preliminary hearing in Chula Vista Superior Court.

Judge Alvin Green Jr. also ordered Valenzuela to stand trial for assault with a deadly weapon and battery for the attack of Fabricio Zazueta, who witnessed the stabbing and tried to take two knives away from Valenzuela.

Zazueta testified he was walking downstairs in his apartment complex and saw two men fighting. He said he called 9-1-1 and then tried to stop Valenzuela from attacking the other victim.

Zazueta said he was taken to a hospital for his injuries.

No real motive for the violence was heard in the hearing, but Valenzuela’s attorney suggested in her questions that jealousy may be a factor in the slaying.

”Why did you do it? I told you not to do it!” Valenzuela was quoted as telling Ponce as he was stabbing him, said Deputy District Attorney Claudine Ruiz.

A neighbor, Maria Canchola, said Ponce was her former roommate. She testified she woke up at 5:30 a.m. to hearing Ponce screaming outside. “It was a big scream, like asking for help,” she said. She said she saw Ponce lying down outside and called 9-1-1.

”I saw a lot of blood coming out of his back,” said Canchola.

Another neighbor, Alejandro Preciado, testified he heard “two people arguing early in the morning.” Preciado said he heard someone yelling for help. When he looked outside, he saw a man lying on the ground, and called 9-1-1.

About five hours later, a National City Police detective got a search warrant from a judge to look for Valenzuela, who lived in a house with others on South 46th Street in San Diego which was not far away.

Police looked through a window and saw Valenzuela lying on the floor. Police entered the house and discovered Valenzuela had apparently cut his wrists in a suicide attempt, said the prosecutor. Ruiz said empty prescription bottles were found on the floor near him, and Valenzuela was rushed to a hospital, where he was treated.

At the end of the hearing, Valenzuela pleaded not guilty to all charges. Green set a Sept. 8 trial date. Valenzuela remains in the downtown central jail in lieu of $1 million bail.