Convicted of First-Degree Robbery : Man Receives 13 Life Terms in Seattle Massacre

A Hong Kong immigrant, the last of three defendants in the 1983 robbery and massacre of 13 persons in a Chinatown gambling club, was sentenced Wednesday to 13 life terms, designed to keep him in prison for 35 years.

King County Superior Court Judge Charles Johnson pronounced the sentence on Wai-Chiu (Tony) Ng for his part in the brutal execution-style killings.

Ng, 27, was acquitted by a jury of 13 counts of first-degree murder. But he was convicted of 13 counts of first-degree robbery, for which the maximum penalty in Washington is life imprisonment, and one count of assault--based on the defense’s contention that Ng had been coerced into participating in the incident by Benjamin Ng and Kwan-Fai Mak.

Benjamin Ng, who is no relation to Tony, and Mak were convicted of 13 counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Ng was sentenced to life without possibility of parole. Mak was given a death sentence.