Mass Murder Case Goes to Public Defender : Courts: Judge assigns office to represent Charles Ng, the accused killer of 12. His long-delayed trial was shifted to Santa Ana from Northern California.

SANTA ANA —  Accused mass murderer Charles Ng, whose long-delayed trial has been transferred here from Northern California because of extensive media coverage, will be represented for now by the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, a judge ruled Friday.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Ryan, who is presiding over the case temporarily, made the appointment during a pretrial hearing on the case, in which prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

The case dates back a decade and has already cost more than $4 million by some estimates. It nearly bankrupted Calaveras County, where the killings took place, said Alan Slater, Orange County Superior Court chief executive officer.

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Special legislation passed last year ensures that the state and Calaveras County--not Orange County--will pay for the trial, Slater said. “We are doing every conceivable thing to make sure Orange County will not bear any of the costs.”

Ng, 33, a martial arts expert and former Marine, is charged with torturing and killing 12 people in 1984 and 1985. Among the victims was Robin Scott Stapley, a 25-year-old Orange County resident.

Calaveras County Dist. Atty. John Martin and Los Angeles Deputy State Atty. Sharlene Honnaka will prosecute the case, which has been marked by legal wrangling from the start. Several judges have excused themselves or been removed from the case as a result of various motions, while several lawyers have actively competed to represent Ng.

A Northern California judge sent the case to Orange County in April after ruling that, because of extensive pretrial publicity, selecting an impartial jury there would have been difficult.

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Retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Donald McCartin, who was asked by the state Judicial Council to hear the case in Orange County, dismissed all previous attorneys and excused himself from appointing new counsel to defend Ng.

When Judge Ryan on Friday appointed the public defender, the office’s first action was to file a document removing McCartin from the case.

A new judge will be assigned by Friday, officials said.

Ng’s previous attorneys are expected to fight their removal.

Ng fled to Canada after the killings and was returned to the United States three years ago following a protracted extradition battle.