Strangeland
by Audiochuck | Western Sound
Introducing - The Burden: Get the Money and Run
About this podcast
STRANGELAND from audiochuck is an investigative series that examines cases in immigrant neighborhoods.
Season 3: The Killing Fields of L.A. is hosted by Ben Adair and Mayly Tao.
In 1996, a Cambodian refugee was gunned down in an alley in L.A.’s Chinatown. But this wasn’t a typical murder. The victim was Haing Ngor, an Oscar-winning actor and humanitarian. Many Cambodians believe Ngor was assassinated over his role in The Killing Fields – a film that depicted the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror. Three teenage gang members were convicted and sentenced to decades in prison for murder. Yet to this day, the Cambodian community remains unconvinced of the boys’ guilt. Because the thousands of dollars in cash found on Ngor didn’t square with the LAPD’s story, and multiple witnesses said investigators coerced their testimony. In this season of Strangeland, journalist Ben Adair and Cambodian-American podcaster Mayly Tao piece through Haing Ngor’s journey from genocide survivor to Hollywood star to murder victim — and re-investigate the LAPD’s case to find out if justice was lost in translation.
Strangeland is produced by Western Sound.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 41 episodes
- Introducing - The Burden: Get the Money and Run · 4 min · Season 3 Episode 13“Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya, and his path was bank robbery. Joe was one of California’s most daring bank robbers…
- Ep 12 of 12: Heroes and Villains · 37 min · Season 3 Episode 12The story told at trial and in the press is that a Cambodian national hero was senselessly gunned down by three gang members. Over time, the known facts of the Haing Ngor case…
- Ep 11 of 12: Behind Every Great Fortune · 31 min · Season 3 Episode 11During an epic battle over Haing Ngor's estate, disturbing details start trickling in about the actor's private life. The paper trail shows that Ngor had enemies all around him…
- Ep 10 of 12: The Cobra Strikes · 30 min · Season 3 Episode 10Many Cambodian refugees feel certain that Haing Ngor was killed for political reasons. The LAPD discounts these assassination theories. But then, a high-ranking Khmer Rouge…
- Ep 9 of 12: The Bad Guy · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 9We have a hard time getting direct knowledge of what happened on the night of the murder. So many people connected to this story have passed away or are still too scared to come…
- Ep 8 of 12: The Color of Law · 41 min · Season 3 Episode 8Just weeks after the gang members were convicted, a massive scandal erupts inside the LAPD. The root of the department's corruption is the CRASH program, an initiative to get…
- Ep 7 of 12: Hell of a Movie · 30 min · Season 3 Episode 7The juries deliver their verdicts. But that's just the beginning of a multi-decade legal battle, as claims of police and prosecutorial misconduct emerge. Years after the murder…
- Ep 6 of 12: Smoke and Mirrors · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 6In an extremely unusual trial, the state of California makes its case against Jason Chan, Indra Lim, and Tak Sun Tan. An LAPD cop-turned-judge presides over a circus-like…
- Ep 5 of 12: The Golden Lotus · 37 min · Season 3 Episode 5LAPD detectives turn up the heat in their search for potential witnesses. The cops get two boys who were allegedly hanging out near the crime scene to ID three local gang…
- Ep 4 of 12: Kill the Chicken Scare the Monkey · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 4The shadow of the Khmer Rouge follows thousands of Cambodians to southern California. Terrified of authority and distrustful of one another, these refugees struggle to adapt to…
- Ep 3 of 12: Year Zero · 43 min · Season 3 Episode 3Most people involved in this case – the victim, two of three boys arrested for the murder, the main witnesses, and Haing's neighbors – were Cambodian refugees. So we return to…
- Ep 2 of 12: It's Chinatown · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 2We head to Chinatown to hear the LAPD's official account of the crime and retrace detectives' footsteps as they worked this case. Authorities recount their breaks in the…
- Ep 1 of 12: The Tiger and Its Stripes · 42 min · Season 3 Episode 1LAPD officers respond to a shooting in Chinatown and identify the murder victim as Oscar-winning actor Haing Ngor. They find $4000 in cash on his body, and rule out a robbery…
- Season 3: The Killing Fields of L.A. · 3 min · Season 3In 1995, a Cambodian refugee was gunned down in an alley in L.A.'s Chinatown. But this wasn't a typical murder. The victim was Haing Ngor, an Oscar-winning actor and…
- Updates + Alphabet Boys · 13 min · Season 2 Episode 15Tips on the Narra case have been pouring in. Ben gives an update and shares your next podcast binge: Alphabet Boys.
- Ep 14 of 14: Six Years Later · 37 min · Season 2 Episode 14Throughout our year-long investigation, Hanu has ignored our repeated attempts to contact him. So, in the Season Finale of Strangeland, we knock on his door to talk face-to-face.
- Ep 13 of 14: The Witness · 25 min · Season 2 Episode 13A traumatized eyewitness walks us through his memory of March 23, 2017 - from Sasi and Anish’s arrival home that afternoon to Hanu’s puzzling behavior upon discovering the…
- Ep 12 of 14: The Payoff · 28 min · Season 2 Episode 12There were some dramatic lifestyle change following the murders, alongside a strange donation to a Maple Shade charity. We investigate that, plus the ongoing legal battle for…
- Ep 11 of 14: The Friend · 26 min · Season 2 Episode 11There was a third person at the Narra’s apartment the night of the murders - a woman whose odd behavior triggers some red flags. Could this alleged “family friend” be the same…
- Ep 10 of 14: The Mystery Woman · 19 min · Season 2 Episode 10After months of searching, we find the mystery woman from the 911 call. She does a sit-down interview and reveals some shocking details about the crime scene.
