Man Convicted of Murder in Strangling of Ex-Girlfriend

SANTA ANA — A Westminster man was convicted Monday of second-degree murder for strangling his former girlfriend after their relationship fell apart.

The Orange County Superior Court jury deliberated just over two hours before finding Hung Ngo, 26, guilty in the March 18, 1993, slaying of Tran Bich Cao, 21, also of Westminster.

Ngo climbed through the victim’s first-floor bedroom window and strangled her, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregg L. Prickett.

“I argued to the jury that it was a case of, ‘If I can’t have her, no one can have her,’ ” Prickett said. Cao had been living with Ngo, who was unemployed, and supporting him until shortly before their breakup.

On the night of the murder, Ngo waited outside Cao’s home until she returned after a date, Prickett said.

Ngo testified to jurors that he was drinking heavily the night of the slaying and had difficulty remembering what happened.

Alerted by Westminster police that Ngo may have gone north after the murder, Oakland police found him in a bus station several days after the slaying. He reportedly told authorities: “I’m the one you’re looking for.”