A City Heights man who insisted he is straight has admitted to strangling a gay acquaintance with his forearm after he said the man came on to him, according to court testimony heard last week.

Jorge Luis Munoz, 24, was ordered Sept. 17 to stand trial for the murder of Pedro Ramirez, 37, who was found dead on his bed at his 38th Street apartment on May 29 by friends who noticed he had not been to work. Munoz is also known by the nickname “Shaggy.”

Although Munoz told San Diego Police officers he was straight, he did say he and the victim had sex one time four months earlier. Munoz said he was “ashamed” of that earlier sexual encounter, said police Detective Katsi Sidhu.

Sidhu testified she spoke with Ramirez’s friends about Munoz.

“They said Shaggy was a boyfriend to the victim,” said Sidhu during the preliminary hearing.

Munoz worked at the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant in Fashion Valley at the time. Ramirez worked for a restaurant in the Little Italy area.

Sidhu said she was called to the scene at 2 a.m. in the 3800 block of 38th Street and witnessed Ramirez’s body on the bed. She told San Diego Superior Court Judge John Einhorn there didn’t appear to be any sign of a struggle. The victim’s cell phone was never found, she said.

Sidhu told Deputy District Attorney Dan Link that she and other police officers interviewed Munoz for four hours, and his story changed several times. The homicide detective said Munoz initially said he didn’t know what happened to Ramirez and denied any involvement. But later Munoz admitted that he killed Ramirez when the victim came on to him.

Munoz told the detective that he told Ramirez he did not want to have sex with him after the victim touched him. Munoz said Ramirez “molested” him, kissed him and threw him down on the bed. Munoz said that Ramirez wanted to take nude photos of him, but he refused the offer.

Munoz, who said he drank between 12 to 14 beers and used cocaine that night, admitted to squeezing the Ramirez’s neck with his forearm. He said he only knew Ramirez through friends.

“I have a girlfriend. I don’t know if I should say this, but she’s 15 years old,” Munoz was quoted as saying to police.

Munoz was asked if Ramirez used a weapon, or a threat, or physical violence that night, and he said no. He also said that neither he or the victim yelled out for help. Ramirez had a roommate, but it was unknown if the roomate was there at the time.

Ramirez’s friends showed up at his apartment after he didn’t show up for work, and Ramirez’s roommate said the victim’s room was locked from the inside. His friends forced the door open with a knife and found Ramirez dead.

Dr. Othon Mean, a deputy medical examiner, told Einhorn the death was due to strangulation. Munoz’s attorney asked if Ramirez had a heart condition that contributed to his death.

“It’s possible he could have had (a heart attack)...with the strangulation. There’s no evidence that it did,” said Mean.

Both Link and the defense attorney submitted the case to the judge without argument. Einhorn found there was probable cause to order Munoz to stand trial. He will get a trial date set on Oct. 13, and he has pleaded not guilty.

Munoz remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility on $1 million bail.