Arrest Made in Dane Williams Murder Case
A man was arrested and charged with the murder of Dane Chandler Williams, the 23-year-old Hurley intern who disappeared and was found murdered in January 2008 after attending a party at the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in San Diego.
The suspect, 39-year-old Philong Huynh, was arrested in San Diego on Sept. 10 and was arraigned in San Diego County Superior Court on Sept. 15. Huynh, who is being held without bail, plead not guilty to one count of murder and two counts of sexual assault. If found guilty, Huynh could face 25 years to life in prison; a special-circumstances allegation of murder during the commission of a sex crime could make Huynh eligible for the death penalty if he is found guilty. A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 29.
According to CW news affiliate San Diego 6, Huynh, who lived near the alley where Williams’ body was found, was arrested after DNA evidence collected from the Williams crime scene was matched to a more-recent sex crime in San Diego.
The news station also noted that Huynh had filed a lawsuit in San Diego County last year in an effort to keep his name from being listed on the sex-offender registry in the county. (Huynh moved to San Diego from Arizona, where he was listed on that state’s registry as a sex offender, the station reported.)
Williams’ family and friends held a remembrance vigil at the January 2009 run of ASR in the hopes that their efforts would lead to a break in the case. “The point of being here is to generate answers,” said Brent Davis, boyfriend of Williams’ sister Hayley, at the time. “Even a smallest clue could lead to a break.”
The family also distributed white wristbands with the motto “Keeping Dane’s Spirit Alive.” Hurley helped produce the memorial effort. People wearing the wristbands could use them to get a free pedicab ride back to their hotels after ASR parties.—Alison A. Nieder
