In the early morning hours of February 19, 1983, a horrific event unfolded in Seattle's Chinatown-International District that would become the deadliest mass murder in Washington State's history. Among the victims was an Asian man named Chong L. Chinn. The setting for this tragedy was the Wah Mee gambling club, a private establishment located in the basement of the Louisa Hotel.
It was a place known for high-stakes gambling and was frequented by many in the community.
On that fateful night, three men, Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak, Keung Kin "Benjamin" Ng, and Wai Chiu "Tony" Ng, entered the club with the intention of robbery. They were known to some of the patrons. Once inside, they systematically bound and robbed the fourteen people present. What began as a robbery escalated into a cold-blooded execution. Each of the victims, including Chong L. Chinn, was shot in the head. In the gruesome aftermath, thirteen people lay dead.
The massacre did not go entirely as the perpetrators had planned. One man, Wai Yok Chin, miraculously survived his injuries and managed to untie himself. He became the sole witness and his testimony would prove crucial in the swift apprehension of the suspects. Within hours of the crime, police had arrested Benjamin Ng and Willie Mak. The third suspect, Tony Ng, fled to Canada but was eventually apprehended and extradited back to the United States to face charges.
The subsequent trials of the three men were highly publicized. Willie Mak and Benjamin Ng were convicted and ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Tony Ng, who was believed to be the lookout, received a lesser sentence. He was eventually released from prison and deported. The motive for the brutal crime was determined to be robbery, a desperate and violent attempt to steal money from the club and its patrons that left a deep and lasting scar on Seattle's Chinatown community.
