Morgan Pleads Not Guilty in Slaying Near Orange Nightclub

A parolee with three previous sexual assault convictions pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murdering a young Huntington Beach woman whose battered body was found outside an Orange nightclub.

Edward Patrick Morgan Jr., 28, appeared briefly in Superior Court for arraignment on capital charges in connection with the May 20 slaying of Leanora Annette Wong, 23. The Orange County Grand Jury indicted Morgan last week on kidnaping, sexual assault and murder charges in the death of Wong, who witnesses said he met inside the nightclub.

The charges, which include the special allegations that the slaying took place during a kidnaping and sexual assault, make Morgan eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors have not yet decided if they will pursue a death sentence. Morgan is scheduled to return to court July 8 to receive a trial date.

Lawyers in the case declined to comment Tuesday.

In a jail interview with The Times on Saturday, Morgan said he is innocent and disputed depictions of him as being a smooth-talking stalker who would romance women, then rape them. He said a security videotape that filmed the attack and the attacker is “not as explicit or graphic as they say.”

Police allege Morgan lured Wong from the Australian Beach Club and killed her in a nearby parking lot, ripping apart her insides with an object detectives have yet to identify.

Morgan previously was convicted in three sexual assault cases, and was arrested, but not prosecuted, after a fourth woman accused him of rape in 1993. The parole board revoked his parole after the last complaint, and he was freed from state prison earlier this year.