Former Fugitive Linked to 1995 Gambling Murders Finally Convicted

A fugitive who was finally captured and arrested after being on the run for 16 years has now been charged with first-degree murder.

Hung Phi Nguyen, 46, was found guilty Thursday of the June 27, 1995, shooting deaths of 26-year-old Ri Nguyen and 27-year-old Say Ngo and Sacramento, California.  He also was convicted of four counts of attempted murder.

Hung Phi Nguyen and two other people had attempted to take control of an extortion racket of Chinese gambling businesses in south Sacramento. Say Ngo was the owner of a gambling business. Two other men, Mark Huang and San Vong, were shot in the crossfire, but survived.

Hung Phi Nguyen is to be sentenced July 21 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge David De Alba.

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com