Paroled Felon Pleads Not Guilty in Wong Slaying : Courts: Edward Morgan is arraigned on capital charges of sexual assault and murder.

Paroled rapist Edward Patrick Morgan pleaded not guilty Friday to sexually assaulting and murdering a young Huntington Beach woman in a case that has sparked public outcry over the handling of his prior criminal cases.

Morgan, 28, was arraigned on capital charges in connection with the May 20 slaying of 23-year-old Leanora Annette Wong, 23, whose battered body was found in a parking lot across the street from the Australian Beach Restaurant and Nightclub in Orange. Prosecutors have also said Wong was raped with a foreign object.

Morgan’s defense attorney said he doubts the Orange County district attorney’s office can fairly evaluate whether to seek the death penalty against Morgan.

“We’re concerned that they’re going to feel that they have to seek the death penalty in this case because of the public outcry that’s been generated by the media coverage,” Deputy Public Defender Steve J. Biskar said outside of court. “We are concerned about the D.A.’s ability to evaluate this in a neutral and unbiased manner.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lewis R. Rosenblum told reporters the public’s response to the case has had no impact on his office’s handling of it. Rosenblum said Morgan will be treated as “any other defendant” who faces capital charges, despite the close media attention.

“We are fair and unbiased in each and every one of our cases,” Rosenblum said. “This case, as every other case, will be fairly and vigorously prosecuted.”

After Morgan’s arrest in Northern California, it was revealed that Morgan had been accused of raping four young Orange County women in the last decade. In all but one of the cases, however, the Orange County district attorney’s office either declined to prosecute or allowed Morgan to plead guilty to less serious charges.

Prosecutors say the credibility of the victims posed a problem in those cases. But critics say prosecutors should have pursued the investigations more vigorously because the repeated allegations indicate Morgan is a chronic sex offender.

An analysis of state figures also shows that Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi’s office has the worst record among prosecutors in the state’s six most populous counties for seeking the harshest punishment in rape cases.

Wong was seen talking to Morgan--a handsome former high school wrestler--at the nightclub on the night of her murder.

Biskar also complained outside of court about media reports that video cameras in the parking lot captured portions of the brutal crime and crime scene.

“We have information that the videotape, and what it shows, is not what has been portrayed in the media,” Biskar said. “We are concerned that the case is being tried by the press, rather than the court.”

Also arraigned Friday was Donna Tatum of Ontario, who pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting Morgan after the murder. Tatum also pleaded not guilty and has been released on $10,000 bail.

Tatum contends that she drove Morgan out of the area because she feared he would kill her if she did not follow his orders. Morgan was later arrested in the Northern California town of Quincy.