Sentencing in Nya Thao murder trial is among local high-profile court cases on December docket

A sentencing is scheduled next week in La Crosse County, in a triple-murder case dating back three years.

Nya Thao of Onalaska faces a likely sentence of life in prison for the shooting deaths of three men at a West Salem quarry in 2021, over a $600 debt.

Thao was tried twice for the murders. The first trial in 2023 ended with a deadlocked jury. He was convicted at the second trial this past August. A second suspect, Kham Rattanasack, gave Thao a gun and told him to shoot the victims. Rattanasack pled guilty to murder and is now in prison.

Other major crime cases in the La Crosse area are expected to be heard in court during the coming weeks. On December 13th, Michael Popp has an evidence hearing in the Terry Dolowy murder case. Dolowy was a La Crosse area woman who was killed and beheaded in 1985, and her body was set on fire. Popp was arrested this year for the murder, and faces charges in Vernon County.

In Minnesota, Adam Fravel is scheduled for sentencing on December 17th for killing his ex-girlfriend, Madeline Kingsbury, in 2023. The murder happened in Winona County, but the trial was moved to Mankato, where Fravel was convicted by a jury in early November.