Thirteen of the victims died, but 61-year-old Wai Yok Chin[note 4], a former U.S. Navy sailor and Pai Gow dealer at the Wah Mee, survived to testify against the three in the separate high-profile trials held between 1983 and 1985.

[7][8] The Wah Mee operated illegally, as contemporary local blue laws required clubs to close before midnight; it was raided by police in 1972.

[18][19] Security at the Wah Mee was based in part on a system of passing through two sets of locked doors, which had been used in similar Chinatown gambling dens for generations and had usually been quite effective.

During the initial investigation, police stated there were no signs of resistance from the victims;[8] a spokesman said he "believe[d] they recognized [the killers].

"[21] Their presumed intent in killing all occupants was to leave no witnesses, since club patrons could have readily identified them — as the one survivor, dealer Wai Yok Chin, did.

On the night of February 18, 1983, Chin arrived at approximately 11:50–11:55 PM for his regular shift as a pai gow dealer, which started at midnight.

[13] Shortly after his shift began, he saw either Mak[13] or Benjamin (the identity varies depending on the source),[22] both of whom he recognized as club patrons, enter with a man he did not know (later identified as Tony).

Both Mak (or Benjamin) and Tony then drew their guns, ordering everyone to lie down on the club's lower level.

Approximately ten minutes later, either Benjamin[13] or Mak[22] entered the club; Mak stood on the club's upper level with a drawn gun,[14] supervising Benjamin and Tony as they methodically hogtied each victim's hands and feet with rope, laying them on their stomachs before proceeding to rob the victims of their wallets and money.

[17] When Chin came to, he was able to loosen his ropes and staggered outside at 12:44 AM,[21] where he was able to find help from three patrons who had been buzzing to gain entry to the club.

[1] After the police arrived, they found twelve dead; one more victim, Wah Mee manager John Loui, subsequently died of his injuries at the hospital,[8][21] and Chin was the sole survivor.

Following the shooting, the doors to the Wah Mee were padlocked shut,[26] and the contents were not disturbed after the police left.

[12]Chin, the sole survivor of the massacre, made a full recovery despite an early medical setback[28] and possible assassination threats that forced prosecutors to depose him on videotape prior to the trials.

[30] The Louisa Hotel continued to host street-level businesses until a fire on Christmas Eve 2013 destroyed the top floor and interior of the building.

[41] After obtaining a search warrant, the police returned later that afternoon to find $7,500 in cash, two loaded .38 caliber revolvers, an M-1 rifle and ammunition in the bedroom.

[44] After speaking with his mother the morning after the massacre, Tony fled to Canada upon learning that thirteen people had been killed.

[45][46] At the time, Tony was working as an electronics assembly technician under the alias Jim Wong, living with a roommate who was unaware of his fugitive status; police suspected he had been partially supported by his family.

[45] His extradition to the U.S. was blocked by his Canadian lawyer until American authorities dropped the charges that could have resulted in the death penalty.

[11] Tony was named the third suspect, charged in absentia on March 30, 1983, with thirteen counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

On August 25, 1983, Benjamin was convicted on the thirteen counts of aggravated first-degree murder after two to three hours of deliberation[1][52][53] and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the next day.

[42][54] During the sentencing phase, Benjamin's mother testified on his behalf, stating the family had emigrated from Hong Kong in 1975; while still in Hong Kong, Benjamin had been beaten on the head repeatedly with a piece of wood, resulting in brain damage, as corroborated by medical experts.

[61] The defense were expected to blame an unnamed individual who wished to gain control over illegal gambling operations in Chinatown.

[61] At his trial, Mak claimed that he had only gone to the Wah Mee to rough up a patron as retaliation for the beating of a senior Hop Sing Tong official.

According to Jim Robinson, Leach was shot when he jogged by Mak and Ng as they were dumping a stolen safe into Lake Washington.

On November 9, 1994, a King County Superior Court judge denied Mak's bid for a new trial but allowed prosecutors to hold a new sentencing hearing.

On April 29, 2002, a King County Superior Court judge ruled that Mak will not face execution since the 1983 jury wasn't asked to determine how much of a role he had in the crime.

[18][17] Defense attorneys questioned whether the 45-minute statement Ng gave to the RCMP upon his arrest in Calgary was admissible, as he had not been advised of his rights.

[73] Although the relatives of the victims continued to oppose the parole, he was released on October 25, 2013, from state prison directly to the Northwest detention center in Tacoma, into the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.