Strangeland

“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. He used disguises, body doubles, speeding getaway cars… and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars, even as the FBI was closing in. Joe was also a soul searcher, driven by a dark rage he set out to understand. To do that,...

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 audiochu...

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: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckllc TikTok: @audiochuck...

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: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckllc TikTo...

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...

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...

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 prod...

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 produ...

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 witnesse...

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: Instagram: @au...

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 med...

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 golde...

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 cas...

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...

Tips on the Narra case have been pouring in. Ben gives an update and shares your next podcast binge: Alphabet Boys.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckllc TikTok: @audiochuck Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...

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: B...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckl...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckllc TikTok: @audiochuc...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter:...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckll...

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?   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social medi...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /a...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on social media: Instagram: @audiochuck Twitter: @audiochuck Facebook: /audiochuckllc TikTok: @audiochuck H...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with u...

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.   Strangeland is an audiochuck production.  Connect with us on s...