Image from the making of “The Killing Fields,” in which Ngor played New York Times assistant reporter Dith Pran during his harrowing escape from the Khmer Rouge. Photo courtesy of Roger Warner.
Who Killed Haing Ngor is an investigative podcast into the murder of the Academy Award winning star of the seminal film, "The Killing Fields."
Ngor was a doctor, engaged to be married, when the Khmer Rouge took over his country, Cambodia, in 1975. He lost his wife and unborn child to Khmer Rouge brutality. Barely surviving himself, Ngor later resettled in the US as a refugee.
That’s when Hollywood casting agents came calling.
Ngor shot to global fame for his role in the 1984 film "The Killing Fields" – considered so powerful, it’s credited with helping launch Cambodia’s peace talks. In a tragic twist, Ngor was murdred — gunned down outside his Los Angeles home in 1996.
The LAPD rounded up some usual suspects: three teenage gang members. Who Killed Haing Ngor is confident they are innocent. One is a client of the Innocence Center, a California non-profit which seeks justice for the wrongly convicted.
The podcast takes us from the streets of LA to Cambodia’s “compassion fad” moment brought about by a massive UN peacekeeping mission – the 1990’s blueprint for nation-building. That attracted both the do-gooders and the criminal elements so prevalent in the country today.
So,,,, Who Killed Haing Ngor? Join journalist Patricia Nunan for an exploration of everything the LAPD overlooked, and a look at the early days when Cambodia first became overrun by organized crime.
Season three is out now!
Click for the Who Killed Haing Ngor? webpage
Click for a multimedia explainer of the crime scene.