Strangeland

About Strangeland

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.

Publisher

Audiochuck | Western Sound

Category

true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Oct 2021

Latest episode

19 May 2025

Latest episodes

16 of 43 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   19 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing - The Burden: Get the Money and Run

   Joe Loya recounts his experiences as a daring bank robber in California, driven by a dark rage stemming from his attempt to murder his father, revealing his motivations and methods.

2. 

   27 Sept 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Ep 12 of 12: 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. 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.

3. 

   27 Sept 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Ep 11 of 12: Behind Every Great Fortune

   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.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

9,433,758

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

2,246 ratings

Spotify

4.5 / 5

1,304 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

16

Social presence

100

YouTube

93

Engagement

93

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