In La Crosse, Wisconsin, Nya Thao, 37, of Onalaska has been found guilty by a La Crosse County jury for the fatal shootings of three men in 2021. Thao faced three counts of intentional first-degree homicide and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, as reported by the La Crosse Tribune. This was Thao’s second trial for the murders after a previous trial resulted in a hung jury. Sentencing for Thao is set for October 14.
Thao and Khamthaneth Rattanasack were both accused in the July 2021 killings of 24-year-olds Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, along with 23-year-old Trevor Maloney. The bodies of the victims were discovered near a quarry entrance approximately 14 miles northeast of La Crosse, close to the Minnesota border. Prosecutors revealed that Rattanasack suspected one of the victims of stealing $600 from him. According to a witness who was present during the incident, Rattanasack instructed the victims to kneel and handed Thao the firearm used to fatally shoot them on multiple occasions.
Rattanasack had previously pleaded guilty in October to one count of first-degree intentional homicide as an accomplice to the crime and was sentenced to life imprisonment in January. La Crosse County Sheriff, John Siegel, stated that the jury’s verdict on Tuesday signifies the resolution of a dreadful crime that impacted not only the victims but the entire community. Requests for comments on Thao’s conviction from his legal representative were made by The Associated Press to Thao’s attorney but no response was received.