| Charles Ng | |
|---|---|
Mug shot of Ng taken in 1982 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Chi-Tat Ng |
| Born | December 24, 1960 Hong Kong |
| Conviction | Burglary Kidnapping Conspiracy to Commit Murder Attempted Murder Murder |
| Sentence | Death |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims: | 11–25[1] |
| Span of killings | 1983–1985 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Calaveras County, California |
| Date apprehended | June 6, 1985[2] |
Charles Chi-Tat Ng (Chinese: 吳志達/吴志达, Cantonese pronunciation: [ŋ̩̏ tsītàt̚], pinyin: Wú Zhìdá; born December 24, 1960) is a serial killer. With Leonard Lake, he is suspected of murdering between 11 and 25 victims at Lake's ranch in Calaveras County, California, United States.
After a long extradition battle in Canada,[3][4] Ng stood trial in the US and was convicted of 11[1] murders, and is currently on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
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Ng was born in Hong Kong in 1960,[5] the son of a wealthy executive. As a child, he was harshly disciplined and abused by his father. As a teenager, Ng was described as a troubled loner and was expelled from several schools. When he was arrested for shoplifting at age 15, his father sent him to Bentham Grammar boarding school in Yorkshire, England.[3] Not long after arriving, he was expelled for stealing from other students and returned to Hong Kong.
Ng finally moved to the United States, where he entered Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California. However, he dropped out after only one semester.
In early 1980, although Ng was not a United States citizen, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Ng later revealed that with the help of a recruiting sergeant, he provided fake papers stating he was born in Bloomington, Indiana.[6] After serving less than a year he was dishonorably discharged for theft of heavy weaponry and machine guns from MCAS Kaneohe Bay.[6] He was further charged with escape from confinement and attempted desertion, though the desertion charge was dropped. Ng was convicted on the remaining charges and was sentenced to 14 years in a military prison. He was released in late 1982, when his sentence was commuted.[7]
Ng met Leonard Lake in 1983 and the two are suspected of murdering between 11 and 25 victims at Lake's ranch in Calaveras County, California. They filmed themselves raping and torturing their victims.[8]
The crimes became known in 1985 when Lake committed suicide after being arrested, and Ng was caught shoplifting[6] at a hardware store. Police searched Lake's ranch and found human remains. Ng was identified as Lake's partner in crime.
Ng fled to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he was arrested by the Calgary Police Service on June 6, 1985,[2] after resisting arrest for shoplifting at The Bay department store. Ng pointed a pistol at two security guards, and after a brief struggle shot one of them in the hand. However, the guards managed to overpower him and held him in custody. Ng was charged and subsequently convicted of shoplifting, felonious assault, and possession of a concealed firearm. He was sentenced to four and half years[2] in a Canadian prison.
After a long extradition battle,[3] Ng was handed over to the U.S. authorities. He stood trial in 1998 on 12 counts of murder and was convicted on February 11, 1999, of the murders of six men, three women, and two male infants, or 11 of 12 counts. He was sentenced to death. Ng's trial was lengthy and cost California approximately $20 million. At the time, it was the most expensive trial in the state's history.[9]
Charles Ng is currently on death row at San Quentin State Prison. Since entering prison, Ng has taken up art. He studied at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).