Witness to deadly shootings testifies at West Salem triple-homicide trial

Two days of testimony are now complete in the La Crosse County murder trial of Nya Thao, who’s in court for the second time for the shooting deaths of three men near West Salem, Wis.

Thao is accused of firing the gun that killed Peng Lor, Nemo Yang, and Trevor Maloney at a rural quarry in July of 2021.

A second suspect, Kham Rattanasack, has already been convicted and sent to prison for planning the murders because one victim owed him $600.

Thao’s first trial last year ended with a hung jury.

A key witness Wednesday was Bridget Schlicht, who had driven the victims to the quarry, where they were executed.

Schlicht testified that she knew Thao and Maloney.

She heard multiple gunshots at the crime scene.

Jurors viewed a security video from a hotel where some of the people involved in the crime met before going to the quarry.

Schlicht later went to police and reported the murders, despite being warned not to talk about the incident.

Another prosecution witness called on Wednesday was firearms expert Jessica Crawford from the Wisconsin state crime lab. She examined bullets recovered from the shootings and a gun used in the murders.

The prosecution in the Thao trial may continue presenting its case through the end of the week.