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Man receives life sentence in 2021 quarry murders near La Crosse
A judge specified that 46-year-old Khamthaneth Rattanasack of Wausau cannot seek early release until he’s served 35 years in prison.
LA CROSSE, Wis. — A man charged in the fatal 2021 shootings of three men whose bodies were found outside a Wisconsin quarry has been sentenced to life in prison.
A La Crosse County judge sentenced Khamthaneth Rattanasack on Monday to a life sentence specifying that the Wausau man cannot seek early release until he’s served 35 years in prison, news outlets reported.
Rattanasack, 46, pleaded guilty in October to one count of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop two other homicide charges he had faced in the July 2021 shooting deaths of Peng Lor and Nemo Yang, both 24, and Trevor Maloney, 23.
The victims’ bodies were found outside the entrance of a quarry near West Salem, a village located about 14 miles northeast of La Crosse, which is along the Minnesota border.
Prosecutors said Rattanasack believed that at least one of the men had stolen $600 from him.
Rattanasack and 36-year-old Nya Thao of Onalaska were both charged in the slayings. A woman who had been with the three victims told police that Rattanasack told the victims to get on their knees before he gave Thao a gun and Thao shot them multiple times.
La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Elliott Levine described the killings as “senseless, ridiculous, God-awful, horrible acts.”
Thao’s case went to trial in June 2023 and ended in a hung jury. Prosecutors moved to retry the case, and Thao’s second trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Aug. 5.
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Charles McMillian was one of the first to observe George Floyd’s arrest and eventually his death on May 25, 2020.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — As most around the world saw the video of George Floyd‘s death, Charles McMillian witnessed it in-person. He went on to give an emotional testimony during the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police office Derek Chauvin.
He’s seeking $30,000 for emotional distress. On Monday, the Minneapolis City Council’s Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee passed the settlement claim through to a full council vote.
“My client observed and experienced a very emotional, traumatic experience that changed his life,” McMillian’s attorney, William Walker said.
A spokesperson for the city said Monday it is not commenting.
McMillian isn’t the first resident to file a claim against the City for emotional distress from witnessing George Floyd’s murder. The City Council is expected to discuss McMillian’s claim at the next meeting.
University officials say the protestors entered the building and are causing property damage and restricting people from entering and exiting the building.
MINNEAPOLIS — Officials with the University of Minnesota are urging people to avoid the area around Morrill Hall after protestors entered the building and started damaging property, according to an alert sent to students.
The alert also says the protestors are restricting people from entering and exiting the building.
Multiple Palestinian flags were being flown outside the residence hall. A large sign being held in front of the doors says “Money for education not for bombs and occupation.”
University officials are asking people to avoid the area “until further notice.”
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says 21-year-old Quintin Leon Hudson agreed to a sentence of 165 months for causing the death of Emily Gerding in July of 2023.
MINNEAPOLIS — A young man agreed to a plea deal that will result in a prison sentence of nearly 14 years after he fled from police, struck a vehicle and killed a woman.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says 21-year-old Quintin Leon Hudson admitted his guilt on one count of fleeing a police officer resulting in death, and on one of fleeing police resulting in great bodily harm. In return for his pleas, Hudson will be sentenced to 165 months in prison or 13.75 years.
Court documents say Hudson was fleeing police in Robbinsdale on the evening of July 9, 2024, when he crashed into a vehicle carrying Emily and John Gerding at nearly 100 mph. Emily, a 34-year-old mother of three, was killed and John was badly injured. Records check showed Hudson didn’t have a valid driver’s license, only an operator’s permit.
At the time of the crash, law enforcement said there was reason to believe Hudson was under the influence of a controlled substance.
The Gerdings both worked as special education teachers in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and were preparing to celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary that August.
“Emily should still be alive,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Mr. Hudson’s actions took her from our community, devastated her family, and left her husband, John, with life-threatening injuries. This resolution holds Mr. Hudson accountable and is necessary to protect our community.”
Hudon will be officially sentenced in a hearing currently set for Dec. 12.
