A convicted murderer accused in the kidnapping of a man in Midway City in March pleaded not guilty Wednesday to an upgraded charge of murder.
Convicted murderer Nhan Chinh Nguyen, 50, and Phi Hung Nguyen, 54, were charged in March with kidnapping for ransom or extortion.
Nhan Nguyen was charged Wednesday with murder and kidnapping for ransom with a special circumstances allegation of kidnapping. Phi Nguyen remains charged with a felony count of kidnapping for ransom. They both entered not-guilty pleas at Wednesday’s hearing.
The two are next due in court Jan. 24 for a pretrial hearing with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.
They are accused in the kidnapping of 61-year-old Tony Lam, who was last seen March 15 near the 14000 block of Hunter Lane.
A witness near Hunter Lane and Madison Avenue reported a possible kidnapping Friday. Deputies suspect the victim was assaulted and kidnapped in the driveway of his home.
Lam had spent time at LV Restaurant and Lounge in Westminster and the 171 Sky Restaurant in Garden Grove the evening of March 14 prior to arriving in the Midway City area of the kidnapping early March 15, deputies said.
Orange County sheriff’s investigators do not believe the two defendants are related, Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Frank Gonzalez said in March.
Nhan Nguyen was convicted of murder in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Feb. 23, 2000, according to the complaint.