Dane Williams Case: Death Penalty off the Table
Philong Huynh is charged with killing the Orange County man
Philong Huynh (left) is accused of murdering Dane Williams, who was last seen leaving a Gaslamp Bar in January 2008.
A City Heights man accused of sexually assaulting and killing an Action Sports convention-goer won't face the death penalty.
Philong Huynh, 40, is accused of sexual assault and murder in the death of Dane Williams, who was last seen leaving a Gaslamp bar in January 2008 while in town for the Action Sports Retailers convention. Three days after his disappearance, Williams' body was found in a rug in the north alley of 5200 Landis Street in City Heights, one block from Huynh's home.
Huynh still faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors.
Huynh is also accused of sexually assaulting a second young man, a sailor in his early 20s identified as Jeremiah R., who testified in court in a preliminary hearing that he met Huynh downtown on June 6, 2009, eventually heading to Ocean and Mission beaches, and even Mexico. After complaining of a headache, he said Huynh gave him what he thought was Tylenol. He later blacked out.
The next day, Jeremiah testified, he woke up on a bus. Subsequent tests showed he was sexually assaulted.
Detectives working on Jeremiah R.’s case identified Huynh as a suspect and determined that DNA evidence collected after the crime in June matched evidence gathered in the Williams' case.
