Trial for Rocklin Man in Attempted Murder Case

Incident allegedly occurred on Sierra College campus

A Placer County judge ruled today that there is sufficient evidence for 22-year-old Paul Thomas Heintz to stand trial on charges that he used a knife to try to murder another man on the campus of Sierra College in Rocklin last March.

Heintz, a Rocklin resident, is accused of stabbing his former friend, Alex Abrahamian, at least five times. He was allegedly angry because the victim had begun a relationship with a woman who had dated Heintz.

In a preliminary hearing before Superior Court Judge Mark S. Curry, prosecutor Rick Opich of the Placer County District Attorney’s Office called four Rocklin police officers to the witness stand to establish that Heintz stabbed Abrahamian, 22, outside the science building on March 24.

Officers testified that they interviewed eye witnesses who said they saw Heintz come up from behind Abrahamian and make either stabbing or punching motions to the victim’s abdomen. Several said they saw a knife in the attack.

Abrahamian suffered severe injuries but survived the assault.

After listening to the evidence, Judge Curry held Heintz to answer on charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The charges include special allegations that the attack was premeditated and that the defendant inflicted great bodily injury.

Curry ordered Heintz, who is in custody in the Placer County Jail, to return to court Oct. 27 for a trial confirming conference.