Hearing begins for Williams case

The preliminary hearing for a San Diego man accused of killing Huntington Beach resident Dane Williams and sodomizing another man has begun.

The hearing was split in two to deal with the victims separately, and the hearing pertaining to Williams is expected to begin Feb. 23, officials said.

Philong Huynh, 39, was charged with the death of Williams, who went missing for three days before being found dead in January 2008. Huynh pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and one count of sexual assault for allegedly drugging and raping Williams. He was charged with an additional count of sexual assault for a separate case.

Williams went missing Jan. 26, 2008, after leaving a nightclub in San Diego’s Gaslamp district. Authorities found the 23-year-old’s body three days later in a neighborhood alley three miles away.

Huynh was arrested by the San Diego Police Department on Sept. 10.

— Britney Barnes