Man accused of killing his mother dies of coronavirus while awaiting trial

The Orange County Jail.

 A man incarcerated in the Orange County jail system and awaiting trial on charges of killing his mother and wounding her boyfriend in 2017, died Thursday of medical complications from COVID-19, officials said.

Ah Le Fang, 37, was accused of murder and attempted murder in the Aug. 15, 2017 attack in Fullerton. He pleaded not guilty in 2018 and was awaiting a jury trial scheduled for July, according to court records.

Fang tested positive for COVID-19 in December and was hospitalized on Jan. 6., the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. He died at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. He is the second Orange County inmate to have died of COVID-19.

Fang had a history of mental illness and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and other disorders, authorities said. Fang was awaiting trial at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana.

Fang’s death came after legal scrutiny over how the county’s jail system has responded to the coronavirus pandemic. The sheriff’s department has said more than 2,000 inmates in the county have tested positive for the virus.

In December, a Superior Court judge ordered Sheriff Don Barnes to release half of its jail population after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit accusing Barnes of not taking enough precautions to sprotect inmates from COVID-19.