In the early morning hours of July 23, 2021, the body of 23-year-old Trevor J. Maloney, a Caucasian male, was discovered alongside two other men at the entrance of Milestone Quarry in a rural area between Holmen and West Salem, Wisconsin. The discovery was made by two quarry workers arriving for their shift just before 5 a.m. Maloney, who had connections to Cashton and Sparta, was found deceased with Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24 years old.
The scene was described as complex by the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office, who quickly determined the deaths were the result of a targeted act of violence.
Investigators believe the three men were killed at the quarry late Thursday night or early Friday morning. The deaths were ruled a triple homicide, and it was later revealed that the men had been shot multiple times. The motive for the killings was believed to be a dispute over a small sum of money, reportedly $600 that one of the suspects believed had been stolen from him. The case drew significant law enforcement resources, with investigators conducting interviews across multiple states to piece together the events leading to the tragic incident.
The investigation led to the identification and arrest of two suspects: Khamthaneth Rattanasack and Nya Thao. According to a witness who was with the victims, Rattanasack ordered the three men to their knees before giving Thao the gun used in the shootings. Both men were charged with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Khamthaneth Rattanasack eventually pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime and was sentenced to life in prison in January. Nya Thao's path to justice was more prolonged; his first trial ended in a hung jury. However, a second trial resulted in his conviction on three counts of intentional first-degree homicide and one count of a felon in possession of a firearm in August 2024. His sentencing was scheduled for October of that year, bringing a close to the horrific case that claimed the lives of the three young men.
