Charges dropped in 1998 Philadelphia murder, dismemberment
PHILADELPHIA --Prosecutors have dropped all charges against a suspect in a killing and dismemberment at a Philadelphia restaurant almost two decades ago, saying key witnesses have returned to China and are unavailable to testify.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Assistant District Attorney Bridget Kirn announced Tuesday that charges against 39-year-old Kai Guo Huang are being withdrawn.
Authorities alleged that Huang killed 27-year-old Hoi Yang in 1998 in the basement of the former Min Du Restaurant, in the city's Chinatown neighborhood. His body was dismembered and dumped in trash bins in Pemberton Township, New Jersey.
Huang was arrested in 2012 in Toronto after he was pulled over for driving under the influence.
Defense attorney Varghese Kurian said he doesn't know his client's plans for the future.