Marina Del Rey Man Arrested In Connection With 2019 OC Killing

MARINA DEL RAY, CA — A 32-year-old Marina del Rey man is among two men who were arrested on Thursday in connection with a 2019 homicide of an Irvine man in Stanton, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials announced Friday.

Read: Body Found Inside Car Trunk In North Orange County: Original Report

Jonathan Ho is being held in the Orange County Jail for the possession of metal knuckles and drug-related changes, the department said. Ho was arrested along with Nicholas Nguyen, 27, of Oklahoma City. Nguyen was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is awaiting extradition.

It is not yet clear what charges both men will face if found guilty.

Both men were arrested in connection with a March 2019 incident in which officers were called to the 12000 block of Leafwood Street in response to a suspicious vehicle. Upon inspection of the vehicle, deputies found a dead body in the truck of the car. The victim was later identified Jeffery Chang, 31, Irvine.

On Thursday, homicide detectives executed arrests warrants in Marina del Rey and Oklahoma City that led to the arrests of Ho and Nguyen, respectively, police said. In addition to the arrests, police seized three guns, approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills and 5,000 methamphetamine pills, police said. The street value of the fentanyl is approximately $30,000.

Police said Friday that the motive for the crime and the relationship between the suspects and the victim remain part of the ongoing investigation.