Dane Williams murder trial delayed until May

The trial for the San Diego man accused of murdering and sexually assaulting Huntington Beach resident Dane Williams has been pushed back to May.

Philong Huynh, 40, is expected to begin trial in San Diego Superior Court on May 23 for allegedly drugging, raping and killing 23-year-old Williams, officials said.

The trial is expected to last about a month, prosecutors have said.

Huynh will face trial for the murder and sexual assault of Williams and an additional count of sexual assault for sodomizing another man, who survived.

Huynh pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted on all charges, officials said.

Williams was in San Diego for a convention as a marketing intern for Hurley International when he disappeared.

He was last seen Jan. 26, 2008, leaving a nightclub in the Gaslamp Quarter.

His body was found three days later in a neighborhood alley 800 feet from Huynh’s unofficial residence, police have said.

Authorities believe Huynh drugged Williams with diazepam, or Valium.

Britney Barnes