Two Plead Not Guilty To Virginia Man's Oakland Death
OAKLAND (BCN) - Two suspects pleaded not guilty Monday to murder charges stemming from the fatal shooting of a Virginia man in downtown Oakland two months ago.
George Huggins, 24, and his girlfriend, 33-year-old Althea Housley, are charged in connection with the death of 45-year-old Jinghong Kang, who was visiting the Bay Area for a job interview at Google when he was slain in the 1900 block of Webster Street in Oakland.
He was killed around 11:30 p.m. on July 18 during an apparent robbery as he walked with a friend to his car, police said.
Kang had come to Oakland to have his teeth cleaned by the friend, a dental hygienist, prior to his job interview.
Oakland police said Huggins and Housley allegedly took $17 from him during the robbery.
Huggins and Housley, who were dressed in red jail uniforms for their brief court appearance today, are scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on Nov. 1 for a pretrial hearing.
According to Chief Deputy District Attorney Tom Rogers, authorities believe Huggins fired the shots that killed Kang. In addition to murder, Huggins is charged with the special circumstance of committing a murder during an attempted robbery, which could make him eligible for the death penalty.
Huggins and Housley are also charged with attempted robbery for the incident in which Kang was killed as well as with two counts of robbery for a similar robbery and shooting that occurred in the 1700 block of Telegraph Avenue on June 21.
A man and a woman, both 26, were sitting in a parked car early that morning when the man was robbed of his car keys and shot, police said. The victim survived his injuries.
Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce spokesman Carl Chan said more than 100 people attended an Aug. 18 memorial for Kang that raised about $15,000 for Kang's widow, Wendy Wang, and the couple's three sons, ages 10, 12 and 17.
Chan said he hopes there will be additional fundraisers for Kang's family in the near future.
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