The 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 have been altered – or discarded – to fit that hero-and-villains narrative. So we pick it apart and offer a full picture of the four lives who tragically intersected on a dark night in Los Angeles. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
During 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, and some believe he was murdered by someone close to him. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
Many 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 officer gives a shocking testimony at a UN tribunal about the actor's murder. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
We 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 forward. But then, out of the blue, we get a call from someone who knows better than just about anybody what did – and didn't – occur in that dark alley. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
Just 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 gang members off the streets using any means necessary, including by framing suspects for crimes they didn't commit. And there's a startling connection between CRASH and the team investigating Haing Ngor's murder. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
The 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, a lawyer bumps into a judge who expresses some deep concerns about how the LAPD investigated the Ngor murder. It turns out that the prosecution's star witness was not what he seemed to be. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
In 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 courtroom, in which three juries are crammed into one jury box. Witnesses drop bombshells on the stand and fireworks explode between a hotshot prosecutor and a ragtag bunch of defense attorneys. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
LAPD 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 members. But both witnesses later recant – saying that the police coerced their statements. With help from a renowned interrogation expert, we revisit the interrogationto ask what – if any –information extracted from the witnesses is reliable. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
The 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 life in America. So when police canvas Chinatown asking about the Ngor murder, many stay silent – until the LAPD forces them to talk. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
Most 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 the original crime scene – Pol Pot's killing fields – to understand how that tragedy shaped the way that the refugee community interacted with the LAPD. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
We 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 investigation – from clues found at the crime scene to revelations inside the interrogation room. The cops explain how they were able to charge the accused teens without any hard evidence. It all centered on the mystery of a golden locket. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
LAPD 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 motive. But the cops later reverse course and charge three teens – Jason Chan, Indra Lim, and Tak Sun Tan. But many, including the main witnesses, think the LAPD got the wrong guys in their rush to solve this high-profile case. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
In 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 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. 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 start to murder victim – and re-investigate the LAPD's case to find out if justice was lost in translation. Strangeland is an audiochuck production. Connect with us on social media: __ __
In the early morning hours of November 2, 2007, Justin Gaines walked out of a popular nightclub on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia and was never seen again. The investigation into Gaines' disappearance quickly went cold and remained so until 2015, when a man confessed to taking part in his murder. Though this detailed confession described what happened to Justin Gaines, who was involved, and where his body was placed, no arrest has ever been made. Host Sean Kipe digs into this story to find out what really happened to Justin Gaines and tries to make sense of the still ongoing investigation. But as Sean gets deeper, he finds himself in an underworld of drugs, money, and murder. Episodes of Drowning Creek are released every Friday and you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. https://link.chtbl.com/SLfd
Since the release of CounterClock Season 1, Delia has received hundreds of requests from families of victims of violent crime. In November 2022, one message in her inbox stood out from the rest. It was from a middle-aged woman asking for Delia's help investigating the mysterious death of her 27-year-old brother from 1991. The message stood out for one big reason. The man's mangled body was found in an all-too-familiar place to Delia. Eastern North Carolina. 33 years after Douglas Wagg, Jr. turned up on a lone stretch of railroad tracks in the middle of the night in rural Martin County, and over a year since Delia took on the case, the scope of what was really going on in the area during the 1990's has come into view. Who was Doug? How did he end up so far from home? Who was he last seen with? Was the train really what killed him? Why was his case never investigated? The journey to find the answers to those questions has revealed a web of small town secrets that feel like fiction, except they're not. Over the course of the Season 6 investigation Delia has interviewed more than 45 people, spoken with convicted murderers in prison, and traced the origins of a disturbing pattern of behavior within local law enforcement that may have resulted in a decades-long cover up of multiple deaths. The investigation into what happened to Doug Wagg appears to be just the tip of a very large, very complicated iceberg that someone has worked hard to keep hidden for more than three decades. For even more time with CounterClock, follow us on social media. __ __
Each episode of KILLED tells the true tale behind a magazine story once silenced or submerged by the media. Justine Harman interviews some of the biggest names in journalism and learns about the drama and deception that surround major publications' final decisions on whether or not to publish a writer's reporting.
Tips on the Narra case have been pouring in. Ben gives an update and shares your next podcast binge: Alphabet Boys.
Darlene Hulse was forcibly taken from her home in Argos, Indiana on August 17, 1984. Her two oldest daughters witnessed the attack but they didn’t recognize the man who took their mother. Though Darlene’s body would be found a day later, just six miles from her home, her killer has evaded law enforcement for almost four decades and her case has remained cold…until now. After a year long investigation, we’re uncovering new facts and speaking with witnesses and suspects who have never been spoke to before in hopes of finally answering the question, who murdered Darlene Hulse? All 15 episodes are available for you to listen to RIGHT NOW on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deck-investigates/id1668474126, Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2bHbTXBLRwdJVL6blVI6wo?si=dba9d865c8c84c12, or wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. https://www.carmax.com/car-financing
Throughout 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. And there’s a surprise development in the legal battle over Sasi’s estate. Will there be justice for Sasi and Anish? Who should be held accountable? And ... how you can help.\ BURLINGTON COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE PHONE: BCPO Main line: 609-265-5035 (& press 23 to be transferred to an operator) Public Information Officer, Joel Bewley: (609) 265-5777 Secret Witness Hotline: 609-267-7667 EMAIL: Prosecutor@co.burlington.nj.us
A 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 bodies. The Witness shares all ... including, a brand new lead. The biggest one yet.
There 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 Sasi’s estate. There’s more than a million dollars at stake.
There 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 woman Sasi mentioned in her letter? We track her across the Philadelphia suburbs to ask her some crucial questions.
After 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. She also gives us some valuable new leads in the case – ones, she claims, investigators ignored.
Hanu and Sasi both worked for Cognizant - a Global IT company known for providing U.S. visas to Indian employees. But these immigration papers come with a major catch. As we look deeper into Hanu’s professional life - we find out more about Sasi’s secret. And we do a deep dive on Hanu’s alibi. Is it as airtight as it seems?
A former neighbor of the Narras gives a first-hand account of the family’s troubling dynamics. But, he says, it was Hanu’s behavior in the days following the murders that was even more concerning. And, we get a crucial new tip on a potential eyewitness to the crime.
We discover a letter that Sasi wrote to her brother, Venu, a few years before her death. It contains an intimate look at Sasi’s home life and contains an explosive secret ... that might provide a motive for who killed her and Anish.
The bodies of Sasikala and Anish Narra were shipped back to India for last rites amid an inter- family drama between Hanu’s and Sasi’s families. We send an Indian reporter to Sasi’s hometown of Vijayawada, to try to find out more about her upbringing and why her family told the Indian press that they know who’s responsible for the murders.
Murdered son Anish Narra was beloved by those who knew him. He was his teacher’s favorite student - a super smart, motivated class clown. Anish’s karate teacher explains why he thinks Anish died a hero. And his first grade teacher talks about a strange incident that happened the day of the murders - and why she reported it to police.
The Narra murders divide the sizeable Indian community in South Jersey. Hanu’s closest confidantes at the powerful Telugu Association of North America (TANA) keep strangely silent while other Indian cultural groups readily assist investigators in drumming up new leads. Is TANA trying to protect someone?
Following the murders, Sasi’s husband Hanu was taken in for questioning. But investigators soon let him go, saying his alibi holds up. We investigate Hanu’s version of events and find inconsistencies and potential motives for the crime.