Ng guilty of 11 murders

The families of his victims wept and declared justice had finally been done, when Charles Ng was found guilty of 11 counts of murder on Wednesday.

For two weeks the jury had deliberated. When it finally returned, it decided the former U.S. Marine and son of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman, was guilty of 11 of the 12 murder with which he was charged.

Ng was convicted of killing six men, three women and two baby boys during a murder spree in northern California in the mid-1980s. The jury was deadlocked on the 12th charge in which the body was never found.

The final phase of the trial, in which Ng will discover whether he will be sent to prison for life, or executed by lethal injection, will begin March 8.

Throughout the trial Ng declared his innocence. When the prosecution showed videotaped evidence of Ng and Leonard Lake torturing and sexually abusing two women victims, Ng calmly told the jury he didn't kill anyone. He blamed Lake.

Ng testified he thought he was helping Lake make sadomasochistic videotapes and was simply following the other man's instructions.

Lake was arrested by police in San Francisco in 1985. He later committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide pill while police were questioning him.

Ng was with Lake just before he was arrested. He then fled to Canada and for six years battled against his extradition, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

The trial was delayed another six years by legal manoeuvres in the U.S.

Ng showed no emotion as the verdict was read.

The state of California estimates it has spent more than $10 million to try Ng.