An Enumclaw man was recently charged with the murder of a Renton man.
On June 5, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Huy Huu Nguyen, 56, with first-degree murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree trafficking stolen property in connection with the death of Axel Enrique Chirinos-Banegas, 23.
He’s being held on $2 million bail.
According to court documents, around 10 a.m. on March 3, Nguyen and another unidentified man allegedly broke into Chirinos-Banegas’ home in Renton, bound him and covered his mouth and one nostril with duct tape, and then ransacked his home.
According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, Chirinos-Banegas’ cause of death was due to asphyxia from combined effects of restrained prone positioning and smothering, and multiple blunt force injuries.
Nguyen’s next court hearing is his arraignment on June 18, at which an initial plea will be entered.
HOME RANSACKED, WATCHES STOLEN
According to documents, Chirinos-Banegas’ cousin had visited Chirinos-Banegas’ home on March 5, stating that he had been unable to reach him for a couple of days.
The cousin (identified as J.A.) said he entered Chirinos-Banegas’ home and discovered his body on the kitchen floor.
Prosecutors believe Chirinos-Banegas was killed March 3 when Nguyen and the unidentified man entered Chirinos-Banegas’ home and forcibly restrained him with the duct tape.
According to documents, Nguyen and the unidentified man then stole items from the home and left Chirinos-Banegas restrained, causing his death.
At the scene, officers found that most, if not all, cabinets, drawers or doors within the apartment were wide open as though the home had been searched. There was also evidence of furniture having been moved and the two bedrooms significantly ransacked.
During the investigation, officers found two fingerprints on a box that were matched to Nguyen on April 10.
Security footage and cell phone data also placed Nguyen at the crime scene, as well as traveling to and from it.
Officers obtained pawn shop records associated with Nguyen showing he made four separate transactions at Elite Pawn in Federal Way. Those transactions involved three INVICTA-brand watches, which were reported as missing from the crime scene by Chirinos-Banegas’ uncle.
The other suspect in this case is unidentified, according to documents.
Courier-Herald Editor Ray Miller-Still contributed to this report.
