Leonard Lake and Charles NG

On July 6, 1985, Charles Ng was arrested for shoplifting at the Hudson Bay Company Department Store in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. During the arrest, Ng shot and wounded the arresting security officer. Subsequently, the Calgary police department charged Ng with robbery, attempted murder, and possession of a firearm. His partner, Leonard Lake (a.k.a. Robin Stapley) was arrested on June 2, 1985, in San Francisco for possession of a firearm and a silencer. The arrest was the direct result of the actions of his partner, Ng, who had shoplifted from a lumberyard and then placed the stolen vice in the trunk of Lake's vehicle. While detained at the San Francisco police department, Lake swallowed a cyanide pill and collapsed. He was transported to a local hospital, where he remained in a coma for 4 days until pronounced dead on June 6, 1985.

Leonard Thomas Lake was born on October 29, 1945, in San Francisco, California. Approximately 3 years later, Lake's father abandoned his mother, leaving her with three children to support. When Lake entered preschool, his mother decided to reconcile with his father and left Lake with her grandparents. The separation from his brother, Donald, and his mother resulted in a strained relationship between them. Yet following his mother's second marriage, Lake developed a cordial relationship with two half sisters. He had begun to obsess over women, particularly the idea of holding a young woman captive to fulfil his sexual fantasies. This obsession was based on a novel titled The Collector, in which a butterfly collector carries out a fantasy of capturing and enslaving young women.

In 1964, following the completion of high school, Lake decided to join the Marine Corps. During his service, he married in 1969 and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with a mental and psychological disorder. In 1970, he returned to California and within a year received a medical discharge from the Marine Corps. In 1972, he was divorced from his first spouse and eventually remarried, to Claralyn “Cricket” Balazs, in 1981.

Charles Chitat Ng was born in Hong Kong on December 24, 1960. Ng's parents, particularly his father, stressed the importance of education. After several applications by his father, Ng was admitted to a private Catholic school. In turn, his father expected his son to excel in school, and when Ng failed to do so, he was severely punished. Ng was eventually sent to England to live with relatives and attend school. Unfortunately, it appeared that he continued to experience problems at school and eventually was sent to California to reside with an aunt and attend Notre Dame College in San Francisco.

In October 1979, Ng enlisted in the Marine Corps and was sent to Hawaii. While stationed in Hawaii, Ng, along with two marines, stole military weapons [Page 278]from Marine quartermasters. While in custody for the theft, he escaped and fled to California. Ng stayed with Lake and his spouse for 6 months until law enforcement officers arrested the two men. Ng was incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth until 1984, where he reunited with Lake. He jumped bail and lived the remainder of his life as a fugitive.

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