Miguel Ramirez, charged in the shotgun-shooting of Juan Ceballos, was reportedly obsessed with whether his victim was gay.

A Pizza Hut delivery man in California is standing trial for murdering a gay coworker because of his sexual orientation, after a judge ruled he was mentally competent.

Miguel Angel Bautista Ramirez, 27, faces first-degree murder charges stemming from the July 2014 shooting of 20-year-old Juan Ceballos in Mecca, California.

Coworkers reported Ramirez (above left) was obsessed with whether or not Ceballos was gay, and often used anti-gay slurs in reference to the victim. “Anyone who talked to Juan knew that he was [gay],” testified supervisor Liana Pena. The two drivers were once caught in the dishwashing area of the restaurant, with Ramirez brandishing a pocket knife and Ceballos an taser.

The night of the shooting, surveillance camera footage showed a truck similar to Ramirez’s following Ceballos’s sedan to and from a gas station. Later, Ceballos texted his brother from outside his house, telling him to come and meet him. As his brother went to the window, he saw a man walk up to the car, point a shotgun in the driver’s side and fire twice.

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Ramirez was arrested after a search of his home uncovered a receipt for a shotgun (though the murder weapon was never found). The case was suspended last November when the judge ordered Ramirez’s mental state be assessed. He is due back in court March 13.

Because the case qualifies as a hate crime, Ramirez faces life imprisonment without the hope of parole. Prosecutors chose not to purse the death penalty.