Judge to Let Ng Act as Attorney

A former Marine charged with torturing and killing 12 people in Northern California may act as his own attorney at his trial, an Orange County judge ruled Friday.

Superior Court Judge John J. Ryan, reversing a decision he made less than a month ago, said he now believes that Charles Ng sincerely wants to represent himself and is not just trying to delay the trial, which could result in a death sentence.

Prosecutors allege that Ng, 37, and Leonard Lake committed the slayings on Lake’s property in Calaveras County in the Sierra foothills more than a decade ago. The bodies were found in a mass grave.

Lake committed suicide, but Ng fled to Canada, where he was arrested and fought extradition for six years. Ng was returned to California in 1991, and his case was later moved to Orange County from Calaveras County, where the killings had received extensive attention.

The mother of one victim said she supported the judge’s decision to let Ng be his own counsel during the trial, which is set for Sept. 1.

“I quite frankly think that Ng is biting off more than he can chew,” said Lola Stapely of Garden Grove. “What’s the expression? You give a man enough rope and he’ll hang himself.”

On Friday and at previous court hearings, Ng has repeatedly stated that he dislikes the two public defenders assigned to his case and doesn’t trust them.

“This is something that is enduring,” Ng said.