Rapist Sentenced to Death in O.C. Killing

A paroled rapist did not say a word Friday as a judge sentenced him to die for strangling and sexually mutilating a young woman he had just met at an Orange nightclub.

Superior Court Judge Richard L. Weatherspoon cited “overwhelming” evidence in upholding a jury’s decision that 30-year-old Edward Patrick Morgan should be executed.

Morgan declined to make a statement on his own behalf, while the parents of his victim, 23-year-old Leanora Annette Wong, left court in tears. They vowed to witness Morgan’s death.

“I’m just glad it’s all over,” said Nora Wong, her eyes red from crying. “Of course it can’t bring back our daughter.”

Morgan was convicted of the May 20, 1994, kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of Wong, a UC Riverside graduate who had recently moved to Orange County to help manage a footwear store.

During his trial, Morgan apologized for killing Wong in what he said was a drunken rage. He said he didn’t care if he lived or died.

“There’s nothing worse than doing something you can’t undo,” he told the jury.

Wong’s family said the remorse is meaningless.

“He should have thought about it before he killed somebody,” Nora Wong said. “Now he says he’s sorry. That doesn’t help.”

Family members sent a letter to the court describing their pain and sleepless nights since Leanora Wong’s death.

“A lot of times I wish that night will not come, and also I cannot eat and have lost weight,” Nora Wong wrote. “It took my husband over three months before he went back to work, and our son has lost his only sister and he was very angry.”

Morgan had been paroled from prison just weeks before he met Wong at the now-defunct Australian Beach Club. He invited her to walk outside, then forced her into a secluded enclosure, where he beat and strangled her, according to testimony.

Wong’s body, battered and mutilated with a sharp object, was found the next morning. Part of the attack was captured by a surveillance camera. Investigators found Morgan’s bloody handprint at the scene.

Morgan has a history of crimes against women, including three previous convictions for sexual assault for which he was sent to state prison.

The defendant’s attorney conceded that his client inflicted “unspeakable” wounds on Wong, but said Morgan acted in a “blind rage” and did not plan on killing her.

The defense called no witnesses on his behalf until the trial’s penalty phase, when former teachers described him as a hard-working athlete and friends recalled his explosive temper.

Jurors were shown school records indicating that Morgan was an “emotionally disturbed” child who had a poor relationship with his parents, especially his mother. Morgan, who maintains a body-builder’s physique, was placed in special education classes throughout his schooling in La Palma.

Defense attorney Julian Bailey said the death sentence only “compounds the tragedy” and will generate years of costly appeals. Taxpayer dollars, Bailey said, would be better spent helping children with problems like Morgan’s.