Justices Refuse to Block Transfer of Ng’s Murder Trial to Orange County
The state Supreme Court refused Thursday to block the transfer to Orange County of Charles Ng’s trial on charges of 12 sex and torture murders.
Ng is being held in Calaveras County, where prosecutors say the murders occurred and some of the victims were found. His lawyers sought a transfer because of pretrial publicity but argued that the case should be tried in San Francisco, where a 13th murder was allegedly committed.
Ng is accused of taking part in the slayings in 1984 and 1985 along with Leonard Lake, who killed himself in 1985 shortly after he was arrested. Police found a torture chamber and mass graves on land owned by Lake’s family in the Calaveras County town of Wilseyville. Ng fled to Canada, where he was arrested and extradited.
The Calaveras charges were transferred to Orange County in April.
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