Testimony begins in Nya Thao trial for 2021 quarry murders at West Salem

The prosecution has begun its case at the La Crosse murder trial of Nya Thao.

Opening arguments on Tuesday were followed by the first group of witnesses, which included a La Crosse County sheriff’s officer, and a pathologist.

Thao is being tried for the second time in the 2021 shooting deaths of three men whose bodies were found at a West Salem quarry. Jurors in the first trial could not agree on a verdict.

In her opening statement, assistant DA Emily Ruud commented victims Peng Lor, Nemo Yang, and Trevor Maloney were all young men in their 20’s.

Ruud refers to them collectively as “the boys,” who were “just getting started” when their lives were taken away. And she says Thao “is the one who did the taking.”

Defense attorney Aaron Nelson argues that Thao is a homeless man who has been called “a cold-blooded killer,” wrongly blamed for the shooting. Nelson points to Kham Rattanasack as the person behind the murders, while he says Thao was more of a “bystander.” Rattanasack pled guilty last year to a murder charge, and is now serving a life sentence in prison.

The current jury also viewed photos of the murder scene, while a crime scene specialist described evidence from footprints found at the quarry. The Thao trial is expected to last all week.