Arraignment for suspect in Williams’ death starts

The San Diego man accused of murdering and sexually assaulting Huntington Beach resident Dane Williams is expected to go back to court today in San Diego.

Philong Huynh, 39, is accused of drugging and raping 23-year-old Williams and is charged with his murder and sexual assault. Huynh is also charged with an additional count of sexual assault for sodomizing another man, who survived. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Huynh faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted on all charges, said Steve Walker, spokesman for the San Diego district attorney.

Williams was a marketing intern at Hurley International in Costa Mesa and was attending a convention in San Diego the night he went missing.

He was last seen leaving a nightclub in the Gaslamp district Jan. 26, 2008, before his body was found three days later in a neighborhood alley three miles away.

Williams’ body was found 800 feet from Huynh’s unofficial residence, police said.

It wasn’t until September that a DNA link between Williams and the second victim was uncovered and led to Huynh’s arrest.

Both victims were allegedly abducted from the Gaslamp district.

Authorities believe Huynh used diazepam, or Valium, to drug Williams. The toxicology reported trace amounts of it in his system, along with quinine, which is found in tonic water. The report also showed Williams had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice what is legally considered intoxicated.

The trial date is expected to be set today, and the trial is predicted to last about a month, prosecutors said.

— Britney Barnes