San Diego

Two men who participated in an attempted robbery on Halloween, which left an accomplice dead from police bullets, were sentenced to three years in state prison.

The sentence handed down Thursday by San Diego Municipal Judge David Danielsen to Hung My Truong and Son V. Nguyen, both 20 and from San Diego, was the same as that given Jan. 23 to co-defendant Chau T. Tran, 22.

Danielsen denied probation for them all and fined them $100 each.

Along with Duc Ngo Huynh, 23, of San Diego, the three wore Halloween masks and arrived at a house in Mira Mesa to rob the occupants at gunpoint. Police had learned of the plans and were inside the home.

When police ordered the men to freeze, Huynh, who was armed, made a movement and was shot to death. Nguyen and Tran were wounded.

Defense attorneys argued that they should be granted probation, and Danielsen noted that the men’s attorneys all said the “mastermind” of the scheme was Huynh, the slain man.

Attorney Ben Goodman, who represents Truong, told the judge his client was “trick-or-treating across the street beforehand” and didn’t know the group’s plan for robbery. He said Truong was “the least involved with this.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Victor Nunez said the incident was “not a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“These defendants were going to a house to commit a robbery and kill, if they are recognized,” said the prosecutor. “Their motivation was to get money. Because it was Halloween, it would be easy.”