A man suspected in the beating death of his girlfriend of six years at her City Heights home pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a murder charge.
Rin Mai, 57, is suspected of killing 53-year-old Roun Choeun, who was found mortally wounded April 18 in her home in the 4000 block of Estrella Avenue.
Deputy District Attorney Samira Seidu said the victim was fatally beaten with a stone pestle.
Her adult daughter called 911 shortly after 8 p.m. April 18 to report that she had found her mother unresponsive and suffering from traumatic injuries to her upper body in the residence near Colina del Sol Park, according to San Diego police Sgt. Chris Tivania.
The defendant was arrested about a week after the killing at a local DMV, where he was applying for a new ID, Seidu said. He allegedly told investigators that he was planning to return to his native Cambodia.
Mai, who faces 35 years to life if convicted, is also charged with the assault of an unidentified man, whose connection to the case was not disclosed.
Mai, who’s being held in the San Diego Central Jail in lieu of $2 million bail, is scheduled to return to court June 5 for a status conference.
—City News Service
