USA: JURY VERDICT ON SERIAL KILLER CHARLES NG

Описание: (4 May 1999) STORY
English/Nat
A jury in California recommended the death penalty for convicted serial killer Charles Ng
The Hong Kong emigrant and former U-S Marine was convicted in February for killing eleven people in the mid-1980s.
Ng managed to delay the trial for 14 years, but on Monday it finally ended with tears of joy streaming from relatives of his victims.
After 14 years, one of the longest and costliest homicide prosecutions in California history has come to a close in this Orange County courthouse.
Charles Ng, the man convicted of killing eleven people in a sex and torture spree in the mid-eighties, showed no emotion when the death penalty was given.
The jury deliberated on the penalty for 15 hours before reaching a verdict.
UPSOUND: (English)
"We the jury in the above entitled case find that defendant Charles (chi-chat) Ng shall be punished by death."
Families of some of Ng's victims rejoiced outside the courtroom.
It was an especially emotional moment for the Stapleys whose son Scott was murdered by Ng.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I feel absolutely ecstatic because it happened. After fourteen years and two weeks it's finally come to conclusion. Let the judge do his piece and we are there."
SUPERCAPTION: Dwight Stapley, Father of Ng Victim
Back in February, the Hong Kong emigrant and former U-S Marine was convicted of killing six men, three woman and two baby boys in the mid-1980s.
Prosecutors said the female victims were imprisoned, tortured and raped after being lured to a cabin owned by Ng's accomplice Leonard Lake about 150 miles east of San Francisco.
Ng's attorneys sought to save Ng's life by casting him as a "dependent personality" helplessly swayed by his accomplice Leonard Lake to commit these crimes.
A defense attorney had said that Ng, who was portrayed as the pawn of a psychopathic killer, Leonard Lake, sealed his own fate when he decided to testify at the last minute.
The defense suggested during the trial that Lake, who committed suicide in 1985, always intended to make Ng the fall guy.
Ng's lawyer suggested after the penalty verdict that Ng's decision to testify accomplished Lake's plan.
Ng's parents had also flown in from Hong Kong to plead for Charles' life.
But all of those efforts failed.
Ng's attorney says his client saw the verdict coming and he doubts the judge will reduce the sentence to life imprisonment.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I think he's probably just resigned. I mean we don't expect Judge Ryan to overturn the jury's verdict."
SUPERCAPTION: William G. Kelley, Ng's Defense Attorney
But the former Marine isn't likely to be executed in the near future.
As in all death penalty cases, Ng gets an automatic appeal.
As he sits in prison, a new team of court-appointed attorneys will search for ways to convince a new batch of jurors why they should spare his life.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...