El Cajon

Bail was set at $5 million for a 19-year-old man charged with murdering the owner of a market.

Hai Van Nguyen of Garden Grove pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the Sunday slaying of Thomas Mikhael, 31, who was shot to death inside his Deliquery Market in the 700 block of Broadway.

Nguyen was also charged with robbery and premeditated attempted murder in the wounding of Mikhael’s nephew, David Wartan, 17, who remains at UC San Diego Medical Center in serious condition with chest and abdomen wounds.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Allen Williams told San Diego Municipal Judge Joan Weber that his office may file special-circumstances allegations, which could bring the death penalty.

Williams said Nguyen was found by police several blocks away after the noontime robbery and killing, with a large amount of money stuffed in his pants.

Also found on Nguyen was a $15 personal check from a patron who wrote it to the liquor store that day, Williams said. Nguyen’s abandoned car, with the keys inside, was found about half a mile away on East Madison Street.

Williams said investigators believe that a getaway driver probably fled after hearing gunshots, stranding Nguyen.

“It’s believed (Nguyen is) from a gang in Garden Grove,” Williams said.

Weber scheduled a bail review for Friday and a preliminary hearing for Oct. 16.

If special circumstances are filed, prosecutors will allege that murder was committed during a robbery.