4 plead not guilty to murder

Four men pleaded not guilty Monday to executing their friend on the side of the 73 Freeway in a cold case dated back to 1995.

Anthony Johnson Jr., 32, Giang Nguyen, 33, Tam Nguyen, 33, and Truc Tran, 31, pleaded not guilty and denied the special enhancements tied to prosecutors’ charges the men tricked one of their friends, Viet Nguyen, and ultimately executed him on the side of the 73 Freeway near the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa in 1995.

According to police, on Feb. 24, 1995, Viet Nguyen joined the four men to do a home-invasion robbery in Huntington Beach. Viet Nguyen left during the crime because he feared the victim, a classmate of his at Ocean View High School, would recognize him.

Later that night, prosecutors claim the four men who stayed at the home decided to kill Viet Nguyen so he could not identify them to police should he be arrested. The next day, authorities said Johnson and Giang Nguyen convinced Viet Nguyen to drive with them in his parent’s minivan to go pick up drugs. Prosecutors accuse Truc Nguen of following in another car — their eventual escape vehicle after they killed the 18-year-old star basketball player with a 3.6 grade-point-average.

Tam Nguyen is accused of faking an illness to get Viet Nguyen to pull over to the side of the freeway, and when he did, shooting him in the back of the head. The four men met later that night to straighten out their stories for police and their fellow Viet For Life gang members, who they feared would kill them all in retribution for killing Viet Nguyen, prosecutors said.

Authorities have not determined if they will seek the death penalty against any of the defendants, officials said. All are being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Reporter JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.