The man accused of fatally stabbing a Cal State Fullerton administrator this week faces a minimum sentence of life without parole if convicted in the on-campus slaying, California prosecutors said Friday.
Chuyen Van Vo, 51, of Huntington Beach, has been charged with one count of murder with an enhancement for the personal use of a knife “and a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait,” the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a statement Friday.
Vo is accused of fatally stabbing his co-worker, retired Cal State Fullerton Steven Shek Keung Chan, 57, in a campus parking lot about 8:30 a.m. Monday. Chan retired in 2017 but returned to Cal State Fullerton in January to work as a consultant, the school said.
Vo fled the scene and eluded authorities for several days. He was arrested at 10:16 p.m. Wednesday, police have said.
He maintains his innocence and is looking forward to his day in court, his attorney, Edward Welbourn, said Friday evening.
No plea has been entered in the case, but his attorney said he will plead not guilty on Oct. 4, when his arraignment is continued.
Police have not released a suspected motive in the killing.
Welbourn said Vo has no criminal record or record of violence and that he is married with children.
“From the information that I have, he was very well-liked by all of his friends and neighbors,” Welbourn said. “He’s just a good community guy.”
Vo is being held jail without bail. With the special circumstance filed in the case he is not eligible for bail, his attorney said.
The commuter campus of Cal State Fullerton is about 35 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles and 8 miles north of Disneyland.