Season Three
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, as well as many in the legal community, remain unconvinced of the boys’ guilt. Because the thousands of dollars in cash found on Ngor’s body didn’t square with the LAPD’s story of a robbery gone wrong, 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.
The Tiger and It’s Stripes
LAPD officers respond to a shooting in Chinatown and identify the murder victim as Oscar-winning actor Haing Ngor.
It’s Chinatown
We head to Chinatown to hear the LAPD’s official account of the crime and retrace detectives’ footsteps as they worked this case.
Year Zero
Most people involved in this case — the victim, two of the three boys arrested for the murder, the main witnesses, and Haing’s neighbors — were Cambodian refugees.
Kill the Chicken Scare the Monkey
The shadow of the Khmer Rouge follows thousands of Cambodians to southern California.
The Golden Lotus
LAPD detectives turn up the heat in their search for potential witnesses.
Smoke and Mirrors
In an extremely unusual trial, the state of California makes its case against Jason Chan, Indra Lim, and Tak Sun Tan.
Hell of a Move
The juries deliver their verdicts.
The Color of Lava
Just weeks after the gang members were convicted, a massive scandal erupts inside the LAPD.
The Bad Guy
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.
The Cobra Strikes
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 shocking testimony at a UN tribunal about the actor’s murder.
Behind Every Great Fortune
During an epic battle over Haing Ngor’s estate, disturbing details start trickling in about the actor’s private life.
Heroes and Villains
The story told at trial and in the press is that a Cambodian national hero was senselessly gunned down by three gang members.
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