Key witnesses were unavailable to testify on March 20 in a Mission Bay murder case so a preliminary hearing was delayed to April 23.

The case involves the death of Eric Stephen Nelson, 51, who was severely beaten in August 2023 and died 25 days later. Nelson was injured at North Cove, a beach on Vacation Isle within Mission Bay and he got himself to a hospital.

Lee Orozco, 35, was charged with murder on Dec. 13, 2024, and appeared Thursday before San Diego Superior Court Judge Roderick Shelton.

Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller told the judge two detectives were out of town and the medical examiner who did the autopsy was unavailable to testify Thursday. Orozco’s attorney agreed to the delay. The hearing is estimated to take two days.

The San Diego Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Nelson’s jaw and ribs were injured and he suffered internal injuries as well, said police.

Orozco was arrested by police on Dec. 12 in the 900 block of Sea World Drive. Orozco had represented himself but now has a public defender. He remains in jail without bail.

Nelson worked as a master stonemason for over 30 years, according to his obituary. He enjoyed spending time with his girlfriend and her grandchildren in fishing and camping in Mission Bay, the obituary reads.