Kathy E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: A Cambodian-born gang member said Tuesday he lied when he gave incriminating evidence against fellow gang members in the killing of Oscar-winning actor Haing Ngor. Thol May, 20, put his hand over his eyes as jurors watched a videotape of him telling police how two of three men on trial in the shooting visited his home with the same kind of handgun used on Ngor. Claiming he made up the story to police, May, whose gang nickname is T-Bone, became the fourth prosecution witness to recant all or part of his statements to police about the Ngor killing. Prosecutors claim the witnesses are lying out of fear of the defendants. ``You saw yourself on the videotape?'' prosecutor Craig Hum asked May. ``No, but I listen to it,'' May said. ``It's a lie.'' ``Why did you make up this story?'' Hum asked. ``I don't know,'' May responded. ``It just popped into your head?'' ``Yeah, just popped in my head.'' The prosecution alleges that Ngor, 55, who starred in the movie, ``The Killing Fields,'' was the victim of a robbery by gang members who wanted money for cocaine. No eyewitnesses to the February 1996 crime came forward. Believed stolen from Ngor was his gold Rolex watch and a gold necklace containing a picture of his dead wife. Hum is relying on video and audio tapes as well as witnesses' prior testimony at a preliminary hearing to prove the defendants guilty. On tape, May said two of the defendants, 20-year-olds Jason Chan and Indra Lim, visited him two weeks before the killing and showed off a gun he said looked like a Glock 9 mm handgun - the type of gun used to shoot Ngor. May told police the two men asked if he was interested in joining them in ``a jack move,'' slang for a robbery. May said he refused. He said both Chan and Lim talked for about two hours of the planned robbery and their desire to get enough money for more cocaine. But under cross-examination, May said he was ``slow'' in school, had a hearing problem from bombings in Cambodia and that his memory was damaged from smoking marijuana. -- Kathy E "I can only please one person a day, today is NOT your day, and tomorrow isn't looking too good for you either" http://members.delphi.com/kathylaw/ Law & Issues Mailing List http://pw1.netcom.com/~kathye/rodeo.html - Cowboy Histories http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2990/law.htm Crime photo's Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
