F.V. man pleads not guilty to murdering man who was shot on boat and dumped overboard

A Fountain Valley man pleaded not guilty Monday to a murder charge in the death of a man who was shot on a boat before being thrown into the sea off Oceanside on Oct. 15.

Hoang Xuan Le, 38, who was known as “Wayne” or “Wangsta,” and Sheila Marie Ritze, 40, of San Juan Capistrano appeared for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Early in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. Ritze pleaded not guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact.

Early assigned the case to U.S. District Judge David Carter, and trial has been scheduled for Feb. 25. The defendants’ next court appearance is set for Feb. 3.

Le faces one count of first-degree murder at sea and one count of possessing and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, court documents show.

His lawyer, Erica Choi, declined to comment Monday.

He and Ritze were arrested at their homes early Dec. 19.

News

F.V. man charged with first-degree murder after man is shot and dumped in the ocean

Hoang Xuan Le, 38, was arrested at about 5 a.m. Thursday following a raid on a home in the 18000 block of Third Street, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Dec. 19, 2019

The shooting victim, an approximately 40-year-old man identified only by the initials “T.D.,” was lured onto a boat in Dana Point Harbor on Oct. 14, ostensibly for an overnight fishing trip, authorities said. His body was found seven miles northwest of Oceanside two days later.

The San Diego County medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide and determined that the victim had drowned after being shot and suffering blunt force trauma, according to prosecutors.

Investigators suspect Ritze, one of the boat’s owners, also was on the boat at the time of the slaying, citing cellphone records and video footage from the harbor.

Prosecutors allege that Le told a source cooperating with investigators that “he took the victim out on the boat, confronted the victim about a debt owed, shot the victim, tied weights to the victim’s ankles and sank the victim’s body in the ocean,” according to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaints.

The same source agreed to wear a wire and arranged to buy drugs from Le at his Fountain Valley home Nov. 10, prosecutors said. In a secretly recorded conversation, the affidavit said, Le confessed to carrying out the killing because the victim owed him $30,000 to $40,000.

“Le became upset with the victim because the victim ‘snapped’ at Le and said he was not going to repay Le,” FBI Special Agent Christopher Gicking wrote in the affidavit. The victim was shot three times, the agent said.

According to the affidavit, a search of Ritze’s phone records showed she was looking to buy a bulletproof vest in the days before the killing, had purchased a tracking device later found on a vehicle belonging to the victim’s girlfriend and, a few weeks before the slaying, had suggested killing a different person on her boat using a gun with a silencer.

Investigators also allege that phone records suggest Ritze was canvassing the harbor for cameras five days after the killing.

Ritze’s lawyer, Lloyd Freeberg, said after Monday’s arraignment that his client has a “frightening and horrifying story” to tell eventually.

“It’s a classic case of PTSD,” Freeberg said.

He said Ritze and Le were friends and that Ritze witnessed an “extremely vicious attack” and was too frightened and shocked to call police.

If convicted, Le could be sentenced to life in prison without parole or the death penalty, prosecutors said.

Ritze could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Scott previously denied bond to both defendants.

Le also has a pending drunk driving case dating to 2017, according to Orange County Superior Court records. He also is accused of having a concealed and loaded unregistered gun in the vehicle, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest. He is scheduled back in court in that matter Jan. 13.

Ritze pleaded guilty last year to driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, according to court records. She also pleaded guilty to DUI in 2005, records state. She was sentenced to three years’ probation both times.

In 2003, court records show, Ritze pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and marijuana for sale and was sentenced to three years in prison. She also pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell in 2002 and was sentenced to 120 days in jail, according to court records.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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