Charles Ng
Encyclopedia
Charles Chi-Tat Ng 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
, Ng stood trial in the US and was convicted of 11 murders, and is currently on death row
at San Quentin State Prison
.
in 1960, the son of a wealthy company 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
. 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.
, 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
. After serving less than a year he was dishonorably discharged
for theft
of heavy weaponry and machine gun
s from MCAS Kaneohe Bay
. 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.
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.
The crimes became known in 1985 when Lake committed suicide after being arrested, and Ng was caught shoplifting 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, 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 in a Canadian prison.
battle, 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.
Charles Ng is currently on death row
at San Quentin State Prison
. Since entering prison, Ng has taken up art. He studied at UFV.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. With Leonard Lake
Leonard Lake
Leonard Lake was an American serial killer. He often used the alias Leonard Hill. The crimes he committed with Charles Ng became known when Lake committed suicide by taking a cyanide pill shortly after being arrested for a firearms offense.-Life:Lake was born in San Francisco, California...
, he is suspected of murdering between 11 and 25 victims at Lake's ranch in Calaveras County
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
After a long extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
battle in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Ng stood trial in the US and was convicted of 11 murders, and is currently on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
at San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
.
Early life
Ng was born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1960, the son of a wealthy company 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
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. 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
Notre Dame de Namur University
Notre Dame de Namur University — formerly the College of Notre Dame — is a private, Catholic University located in Belmont, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Notre Dame de Namur University is an accredited university in San Mateo County, and the fifth-oldest university in California...
in Belmont
Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, located half-way down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Mateo and San Carlos. It was originally part of the Rancho de las Pulgas, for which one of its main roads, the Alameda de las Pulgas,...
, California. However, he dropped out after only one semester.
U.S. Marine Corps
In early 1980, although Ng was not a United States citizenCitizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Ng later revealed that with the help of a recruiting sergeant, he provided fake papers stating he was born in Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. After serving less than a year he was dishonorably discharged
Military discharge
A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...
for theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
of heavy weaponry and machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s from MCAS Kaneohe Bay
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Marine Corps Base Hawaii , formerly Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps base facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County of Honolulu. As of the 2000 Census, the base had a...
. He was further charged with escape from confinement and attempted desertion
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
, 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.
Murders
Ng met Leonard LakeLeonard Lake
Leonard Lake was an American serial killer. He often used the alias Leonard Hill. The crimes he committed with Charles Ng became known when Lake committed suicide by taking a cyanide pill shortly after being arrested for a firearms offense.-Life:Lake was born in San Francisco, California...
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
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and torturing
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
their victims.
The crimes became known in 1985 when Lake committed suicide after being arrested, and Ng was caught shoplifting 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
Calgary Police Service
Calgary Police Service, formed in 1885, is the municipal police force for the City of Calgary, Alberta.- Organization :Founded in 1885, the current head of the CPS is Chief Rick Hanson...
on June 6, 1985, after resisting arrest for shoplifting at The Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
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
Concealed carry
Concealed carry, or CCW , refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner, either on one's person or in proximity.-In Canada:...
. He was sentenced to four and half years in a Canadian prison.
Murder trial
After a long extraditionExtradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
battle, Ng was handed over to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
. 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.
Charles Ng is currently on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
at San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
. Since entering prison, Ng has taken up art. He studied at UFV.