Cold case arraignment postponed to Feb. 27

The arraignment of three of four men authorities claim were involved in the execution-style slaying of an alleged gang member 14 years ago in Costa Mesa has been rescheduled for later this month.

Anthony Paul Johnson Jr., 32, Giang Thuy Nguyen, 33, and Truc Ngoc Tran, 31, are scheduled to be in court Feb. 27 at Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.

A fourth man charged in the crime, Tam Hung Nguyen, 33, formerly of Riverside, was arrested in January in Anoka County, Minn., and is awaiting extradition.

Prosecutors claim the men killed a fellow gang member, Viet Nguyen, a senior at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, in 1995. The prosecution alleges Viet Nguyen was killed in retaliation for fleeing during a masked home invasion robbery in Huntington Beach, leaving his fellow gang members to complete the crime.

The men face charges of murder with special circumstances and conspiracy to commit murder.

If convicted, all four men face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

— Brianna Bailey