[PauloPeter]

Leonard Lake and Charles Ng became infamous for a series of kidnappings, torture, sexual abuse, and murders, yet neither man was initially caught because investigators had uncovered their more serious crimes. Instead, both ultimately attracted police attention because of theft.

Lake’s downfall began after Ng stole a $75 vise from a hardware store. Lake attempted to resolve the situation, but police were called. When officers questioned him, Lake initially refused to provide his identity and eventually presented identification belonging to one of their victims. Making matters worse, he was also driving a vehicle that belonged to another victim.

Once in police custody, Lake realized that his carefully hidden life was beginning to unravel. He had long carried a cyanide capsule with him, apparently for exactly such a situation. While being questioned, he swallowed the capsule and died several days later.

Charles Ng had already fled to Canada, where his own tendency toward theft eventually led to his capture. After being caught shoplifting, Ng pulled a gun during a confrontation and shot a security guard in the hand. Additional guards responded, and Ng fought back using his martial arts skills, but he was eventually overpowered and taken into custody.

Getting Ng back to the United States proved much more difficult. His attorneys fought extradition from Canada for years, largely because he faced the possibility of execution if convicted in California. After approximately six years of legal proceedings, Ng was finally extradited to California. Even then, numerous legal disputes and delays pushed his trial back for several more years.

Ng was eventually convicted of eleven murders involving six men, three women, and two infant boys. He was sentenced to death.

As investigators searched the property associated with Lake, they uncovered a horrifying amount of evidence. Twelve bodies were reportedly recovered from shallow graves on the grounds. Among the victims were two families: Harvey Dubs, his wife Deborah, and their infant son Sean; and Lonnie Bond, Brenda O’Connor, and their infant son Lonnie Bond Jr.

Investigators determined that several of the women had been sexually abused before being killed. Their husbands and children were also murdered. Other victims included men who had apparently been lured to the property so they could be robbed and killed. Among them were victims such as Donald Lake Stapley and Charles Gunnar Cosner.

Another victim was 18-year-old Kathleen Allen, who had a connection to Ng through her boyfriend, a man who had previously been incarcerated with him.

Authorities also discovered burned fragments of human bones on the property. Because many of the remains could not be identified, investigators were unable to determine exactly how many additional people may have been killed. Estimates of the total number of possible victims have sometimes reached as high as 25, although the exact number remains uncertain.

One of the most disturbing discoveries was the bunker Lake had constructed on the property. The structure functioned not only as a place where victims could be imprisoned but also as a crude recording studio. Lake and Ng videotaped some of their victims, documenting their captivity, sexual abuse, threats, and torture.

For Lake, recording the crimes appears to have been part of the fantasy itself. The videos provided investigators with direct evidence of the terror experienced by some of the victims and offered a disturbing glimpse into the level of planning involved. Rather than committing purely impulsive acts of violence, Lake had created an environment specifically designed to imprison, control, abuse, and ultimately dispose of his victims.

The discovery of the bunker, videotapes, personal belongings, human remains, and other evidence transformed what had begun as an investigation involving a relatively minor theft into the exposure of one of California’s most disturbing serial murder cases.

[PauloPeter]

victims,

[PauloPeter]

Ng wasting time, showing that a person who represents himself in court has a fool for a client and an idiot for a lawyer.

[PauloPeter]

1 more this is for the countless dead that are only bone-fragments left.

[thecuriousgeorge]

nice post man

[justthefacts]

Love the detail! I don't know why some folks complain about *reading* ...unless they're essentially illiterate. I appreciate the information. Thanks!

[The Driver]

some ppl are strange in so many ways

[PauloPeter]

Originally Posted by justthefacts ↗

Love the detail! I don't know why some folks complain about *reading* ...unless they're essentially illiterate. I appreciate the information. Thanks!

Originally Posted by thecuriousgeorge ↗

nice post man

ty ty i aim to please; i think this serial killer story is mostly overlooked when the discussion comes up because nobody wants to talk about how fucked up the situation really was & is.

ty again, i appreciate it :D

[PauloPeter]

[*Ragdoll_Cutie*]

Hmmm i wonder where these snuff movies went an if they are floating around cyber space somewhere....