Opening arguments and witnesses heard, as Nya Thao goes on trial for La Crosse County triple murder

Prosecution witnesses have begun to testify at the triple-homicide trial of Nya Thao in La Crosse County court.

Jurors saw photos Tuesday from the crime scene and heard from police and forensic experts.

Thao is one of two suspects in the shooting of three men at a West Salem quarry in July of 2021, as a result of a dispute over what police initially said was $600.

Investigators said Thao fired the gun at the insistence of co-defendant Kham Rattanasack.

A law officer found the bodies of shooting victims Peng Lor, Nemo Yang, and Trevor Maloney at the quarry on the morning of the murders.

La Crosse County district attorney Tim Gruenke told jurors that Rattanasack will be a witness under a grant of immunity. Thao is suspected of shooting all three men multiple times, after being threatened by Rattanasack.

“Kham gives the gun to Mr. Thao, ” Gruenke said. “Kham says words to the effect of, ‘You better do it, or I’ll do it, or you better do it before I do it.’

“At that point is when Mr. Thao says something to the effect of, pardon my language, but ‘F— it,’ and shoots the young men,” Gruenke added.

Rattanasack is expected to testify Wednesday. The defense says Thao was a bystander, while Rattanasack did the shooting. Thao’s attorney, Aaron Nelson, questions whether Rattanasack will tell the truth when he’s on the stand.

“He’s trying to use that, use everybody,” Nelson said, “to try to get Mr. Thao convicted of a crime, so that he (Kham) can suffer less consequences.”

Nelson predicts that Rattanasack will say he’s not the shooter. Rattanasack claimed one victim stole $600 from him and allegedly decided to have the three men shot.