Orange County

Arrest After Man's Body Found in Car Trunk in 2019

Sheriff's officials have not released any information on the motive or cause of death.

OC Hawk

Two men have been arrested in connection with a 2019 killing in Stanton, the Orange County Sheriff's Department announced Friday.

Nicholas Nguyen, 27, of Oklahoma City, was arrested Thursday and booked on conspiracy to commit murder and was awaiting extradition.

Jonathan Ho, 32, of Marina del Rey, was booked Thursday on suspicion of possession of metal knuckles and drug-related charges, Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Anderson said. Ho posted bail on Friday and was released.

Two gruesome crime scenes less than a mile apart, and detectives are looking at new video evidence that may help them find out how a body ended up in the trunk of a car. Hetty Chang reports for NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on March 8, 2019.

Court records indicate Ho was charged with a felony count of possession of brass knuckles and misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of cannabis for sale.

Nguyen is accused of conspiring to kill 31-year-old Jeffery Cheng of Irvine, according to Anderson.

Orange County sheriff's deputies found Cheng's body in the trunk of a car in the 12000 block of Leafwood Street about 10 a.m. March 8, 2019, Anderson said. There was blood on the outside of the car and the driver's side window was smashed, Anderson said.

It's not clear when Cheng was killed or what prompted the attack.

Sheriff's officials have not released any information on the motive or cause of death.

The charges against Ho indicate the alleged crimes occurred on June 7, 2019. There were no court records in Orange County indicating Nguyen has been charged.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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