Jesus Lopez-Zavala, the Colorado Springs man charged with two counts of attempted murder among other charges in a 2023 incident, has pleaded not guilty and will go on trial early next year.

The 36-year-old man appeared before 8th Judicial District Court Judge Joseph Findley in Fort Collins on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, saying they were “false allegations.” William Holtz, Lopez-Zavala’s attorney, said a competency evaluation was ordered for his client, but he was ultimately found competent to continue.

Assistant District Attorney Erin Butler said her office is rescinding a plea deal offer that would have carried a prison term of 10 to 32 years, leaving him to face a sentence of 16 to 48 years on each count of attempted murder if convicted.

Findley scheduled Lopez-Zavala to return for a preliminary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10 before a five-day trial that begins March 17.

Lopez-Zavala he was arrested last August and accused of breaking into a residence in the 3200 block of West Eisenhower Boulevard and threatening two people with a hatchet before an argument broke out, injuring himself and a man inside the home.

During a preliminary hearing in May a Larimer County Sheriff’s Office deputy said Lopez-Zavala broke into the west Loveland home looking for a female victim, who was inside the home, believing she was having an affair with a man in the home. He is accused of fighting with the man after breaking in, which resulted in Lopez-Zavala being stabbed and the man being hit in the head with a hatchet; Holtz questioned the severity of the male victim’s injuries during the hearing in early May.

Judge Findley found probable cause in that case and bound over the felony charges for trial.

In that case, Lopez-Zavala faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, a Class 2 felony; first-degree assault with serious bodily injury, a class 3 felony; first degree burglary, class 3 felony; two counts of criminal threatening, a Class 5 felony; criminal mischief, a Class 6 felony; and violating an order of protection, as well as five violent crime sentencing enhancers.

He was also charged in another case with possession of fentanyl, a Class 4 drug felony; resisting arrest, Class 2 misdemeanor; obstructing a peace officer; class 2 misdemeanor; possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor drug offense; and tampering with physical evidence, a Class 1 misdemeanor.