JURY TRIAL
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man charged with conspiracy to commit stealing - a felony - is scheduled for a jury trial Jan. 19, 2020. During a status hearing last week before Associate Justice Fiti Sunia, attorneys from both sides confirmed that they are prepared for Tala’i Alesana’s jury trial...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of giving marijuana to a minor to sell for him in the beginning of this year has asked the High Court to set his case for jury trial — and trial is now set for March 2020.
Opetaia Asuni appeared in court last week for his pretrial conference. Assistant...
KEALAKEKUA, Hawaii — Jury trial is set to open Wednesday for two men and a woman charged with attempted murder in connection with the brutal assault of a Kailua Village hotel security guard last fall.
Wesley Samoa, Natisha Tautalatasi and Lama Lauvao have each pleaded not guilty to a single charge...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — While all of the government's witnesses have testified that the driver of the red truck that took police on a high speed chase in late Dec. 2017 was Manu Lefatia, two defense witnesses told jurors that they played pool with Lefatia at his residence in Puapua from 5 pm...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Jury instructions and opening statements for the jury trial of a man accused of taking police on a high-speed chase back in Dec. 2017 began yesterday in High Court.
Manu Lefatia, who has been in custody without bail since his arrest Jan. 2018 is charged with first-degree...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Folasa Galea’i was found guilty this past Wednesday afternoon of vehicular homicide, after jurors deliberated for 2 1/2 hours.
Vehicular homicide is a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.
Galea’i, 26, didn’t react...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The government called 3 witnesses during Day 1 of Folasa Galeai’s jury trial, and one of them was the wife of the deceased — also the only eyewitness — who told jurors that at the time of the accident, the defendant’s vehicle was flying towards theirs.
Galea’i, who is...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A High Court jury has found Sonny Tui not guilty of two drug charges: unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and unlawful possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
This was after a third charge — authorizing illegal drugs into the territory — was...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Day 2 of Sonny Tui's jury trial saw the first witness for the defense take the stand —± the defendant himself. The prosecution had called all four of its witnesses on the first day.
Tui, who has been in custody since his arrest, unable to post a $40,000 surety bond, is...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Jury instructions and opening statements for the trial of a man accused of bringing illegal drugs into the territory began yesterday in High Court.
Sonny Tui, who has been in custody since his arrest, unable to post a $40,000 surety bond, is charged with unlawful...