Two men, charged Tuesday in a superseding indictment for the Jan. 23 “murder for hire” acid attack on Chinese-language teacher Danying Zhang, pleaded not guilty this morning to all charges including conspiracy to commit attempted first-degree murder and/or attempted second-degree murder and/or first-degree assault.

Paul M. Cameron, 21, accused of planning the random attack by a second man, Sebastian Mahkwan, in order to cast doubt on Cameron as a suspect in a 2023 acid attack on another woman in Mililani, is also charged with attempted first-degree murder, accomplice to second-degree attempted murder and accomplice to first-degree assault.

Cameron appeared from the Oahu Community Correctional Center by video teleconferencing before Circuit Judge Ronald Johnson, while Mahkwan, 30, the man he allegedly helped bail out to execute the Jan. 23 attack near Ala Moana, appeared in the courtroom.

Mahkwan was also charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Johnson maintained the two be held without bail, citing they were flight risks and a danger to the community. He assigned the case to trial Judge Fa’auuga To‘oto‘o.

Court records show Cameron called Mahkwan his boyfriend. The two met in OCCC, while Cameron was awaiting trial on the April 7 acid attack of Davina Licon outside the 24 Hour Fitness in Mililani. Mahkwan was in jail for drug and assault charges.

The indictment says Zhang suffered substantial risk of death, with oral injury and a compromised airway, and she continues to suffer permanent disfigurement from burns to large areas of her face and body, and anticipated loss and impairment due to skin grafts.

The superseding indictment alleges Cameron hired Mahkwan on or about Nov. 1 to Jan. 23.

The Prosecutor’s Office referred to the scheme in a news release as a “murder for hire” plot.