Thao jury is deadlocked; no conviction or acquittal on triple-murder charges, with another trial possible

A triple-murder trial in La Crosse ends Tuesday with a deadlock.

Judge Elliott Levine has dismissed jurors from the Nya Thao trial, after they were unable to reach a verdict on counts of homicide, in the shooting deaths of three men back in July of 2021. The jury spent about 10 hours deliberating the case since Monday afternoon.

Thao, from Onalaska, has been in the La Crosse County jail for almost two years, which is longer than any other current inmate. A hearing on whether to modify his $1 million bond is expected next week. District Attorney Tim Gruenke says he’ll attempt to bring the case to trial again, but that could be several months from now.

Thao and another man, Kham Rattanasack, are suspected of killing Pen Lor, Nemo Yang, and Trevor Maloney in a dispute over $600 owed to Rattanasack. The prosecution argued at trial that Thao fired multiple shots that killed the three victims, while the defense considered Rattanasack more responsible for the murders.

Jurors had deliberated a couple of hours Tuesday before telling Levine that they couldn’t agree on a verdict. The judge called on the jury to make an “honest and sincere attempt” to reach a unanimous decision, but around 2 p.m., Levine released the jury and thanked them for their work at the trial which began June 12th.