Leung Ying

Overview

Leung Ying (also known as Loy Yeung, Wong Gay, and Lim Onn) pleaded guilty to killings and was sentenced to death on August 31, 1928. He committed suicide in his prison cell in San Quentin Prison by hanging himself with a towel on October 22, 1928.

Timeline

• 1924 — Leung Ying was arrested by San Francisco police as a gunman and narcotics peddler.
• August 22, 1928 — Leung Ying killed 11 people and wounded another four on a farm near Fairfield, California.
• August 23, 1928 — Leung Ying was arrested by police.
• August 24, 1928 — Loy was arraigned at the Superior Court in Suisun City.
• August 31, 1928 — After pleading guilty, Ying was sentenced to death by hanging.
• October 22, 1928 — Leung Ying committed suicide in his prison cell in San Quentin Prison by hanging himself with a towel.
• November 9, 1928 — Ying’s execution was scheduled to take place.

Background

Leung Ying was a Chinese mass murderer who killed 11 people and wounded another four on a farm near Fairfield, California on August 22, 1928, before escaping the scene. He was arrested by police the next day and sentenced to death on August 31, 1928. He committed suicide in his prison cell on October 22, about two weeks before his set execution date.

Leung Ying was considered a notorious killer, boasting he had killed three people in a tong war, and he was generally regarded as a “bad” person.

For some time, Ying lived in San Jose and worked at a local packing plant. He was a member of the Hop Sing Tong, until he was expelled due to his excessive use of narcotics.

For three months, he was employed as a cook or fruit picker at the Bryan ranch five miles from Fairfield, which was leased by Wong Gee. Ying was eventually dismissed for either assaulting or having an affair with Wong Gee’s daughter Nellie.

Six months prior to Leung Ying’s attack on the ranch, another Chinese worker ran amok there with an axe and set fire to two buildings; the worker was shot by Wong Gee. The killing was later declared an act of self-defense by the superior court.

The offence

Attack at the ranch (August 22, 1928)

On August 22, 1928, Ying returned to the ranch armed with a rifle and a hatchet and under the influence of cocaine. He attacked residents and workers there. According to reports, Ying first entered what was variously identified as an underground gambling room, or a dugout, where Wong Gee attempted to wake two farm hands.

He shot Wong Gee through the heart and also killed worker Cheung Yueng. Both were later found by police lying fully dressed on a bed.

The other farm laborer, Wa Wey, was fatally wounded by a shot in the back when he was trying to run away.

Ying then went to the house of Wong Gee’s brother, Wong Hueng, who had locked himself in and attempted to hide under a bed. Ying shot through a window, hitting Wong Hueng in the abdomen.

Next, Ying made his way to the home of the cook on the ranch, 61-year-old Low Shek, who was wounded in his cabin by a shot through the stomach. Low Shek was later brought to Fairfield hospital, where he died after a few hours.

While proceeding through a pear orchard towards the home of Wong Gee, Ying shot and killed worker Yeung Soon.

At the door of the house, Ying killed Wong Gee’s wife with a shot between the eyes. He then decapitated the 2 week old baby in her arms with the hatchet before walking into the children’s room.

In the children’s room, he shot Wong Gee’s 4-year-old son, Johnnie, through the head at close range, before using his axe to crush the skull of 3-year-old Willie Wong, who was lying in his bed.

Ying also fatally wounded 15-year-old Nellie Wong by shooting her in the back after she had jumped out of a window and tried to escape through the orchard. She died in Vallejo hospital on August 27, becoming Ying’s eleventh and final victim.

Two other of Wong Gee’s children, Ruth and Helen, escaped unharmed by hiding under a bed.

After mutilating the body of Mrs. Wong with the hatchet, Ying escaped in an automobile owned by Wong Gee. In less than 20 minutes, he had killed or fatally wounded 11 people and injured four others.

Victims

• Wong E. Gee
• Mrs. Wong Gee
• Nellie Wong, 15, daughter of Wong Gee
• Johnnie Wong, 4, son of Wong Gee
• Willie Wong, 3, son of Wong Gee
• Unnamed infant, 2 weeks old, child of Wong Gee
• Wong Hueng, 56, brother of Wong Gee
• Wa Wey, 40
• Low Shek, 61
• Yeung Soon, 40
• Cheung Yueng, 64

Investigation

During his interrogation, Ying readily admitted to having committed the murders. He stated that he had seen the police officers trailing him during the night and that although he had the opportunity to shoot them at any time, he refrained from doing so because he feared he would be hanged if he killed a white man.

When asked for the motive behind his rampage, Ying initially recited a story of his love for a Chinese girl and the disapproval of this relationship by her family. He also stated that the Wong Gee family tried to kill him with poisoned food, so he killed them first. He later told that incessant teasing had pushed him to commit the murders.

He expressed admiration for Californian criminals Joe Tanko and Floyd Hall, saying: “I just like Tanko and Hall - very, very sick.”

Arrest

On the next day after abandoning his car and rifle, Ying was captured by police while sleeping in a tank house near the Empire mine in Grass Valley. He was taken to Nevada City, where he was held until the arrival of the Fairfield authorities.

Trial

Arraignment and plea

After his arrest, Loy was arraigned at the Superior Court in Suisun City on August 24, 1928. At arraignment, he admitted committing the murders and stated he wished he had the opportunity to kill half a dozen more.

After pleading guilty, Ying was sentenced to death by hanging on August 31, 1928.

Execution schedule

His execution was to take place on November 9 of the same year.

Sentencing

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Ying committed suicide in his prison cell in San Quentin Prison by hanging himself with a towel on October 22, 1928.

Aftermath

The night after his arrest, Leung Ying attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself with a blanket. After this attempt was foiled by prison guards, he spent the night beating his head against the floor and walls, crying for narcotics.

Other details

Ying had multiple names associated with him, including Loy Yeung, Wong Gay, and Lim Onn.

The case was described as the worst case of mass murder in Californian history at that time, surpassing the killing of six persons each by James Dunham on a farm in Santa Clara County in 1896 and by John Goins in Stockton and Galt in 1926.