Courts

Thao trial for triple murder near West Salem ready to start in June

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2023

Brad Williams

One defendant in a triple-homicide case from the summer of 2021 will be tried in La Crosse less than a month from now.

Thirty-five-year-old Nya Thao goes on trial in June for the shooting deaths of three men at a West Salem area quarry.

On Tuesday, Thao had his last scheduled court hearing, before jury selection on June 12th. Thao’s defense attorney had requested a trial for this summer.

Testimony in the case is expected to start June 13th, and the trial could go for a week or longer. His co-defendant, Khamthaneth Rattanasack, has a plea hearing later in May.

Thao and Rattanasack are accused of shooting Peng Lor, Nemo Yang, and Trevor Maloney in July of 2021. One of the victims reportedly owed $600 to Rattanasack.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.