On the morning of August 10, 1991, the Wat Promkunaram Buddhist temple in Waddell, Arizona, was the scene of a mass killing. Nine people of Thai descent were found shot in the back of the head, including monk Somsak Sopha. The victims also included the temple’s abbot, Pairuch Kanthong; four other monks, Surichai Anuttaro, Boochuay Chaiyarach, Chalerm Chantapim, and Siang Ginggaeo; a nun, Foy Sripanpasert; her nephew and novice monk, Matthew Miller; and a temple employee, Chirasak Chirapong.

Investigators determined the attack was motivated by robbery. Two teenagers, 17-year-old Johnathan Doody and 16-year-old Allesandro Garcia, were later charged with armed robbery and first-degree murder. The perpetrators took about $2,600 and some audio-visual equipment. Garcia pleaded guilty in 1993 and received a 271-year prison sentence; Doody was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to 281 years, with later retrials and convictions noted after those years.

Does anyone have memories of the temple community or knew Somsak Sopha and his fellow worshippers who were killed that morning?