Avril Elfi from OAN
June 1, 2024 (Saturday) 4:27 p.m.
A Samoan playwright and author has been accused of murdering the aunt of former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
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Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was taken into custody Sunday following the death of Caroline Sinabiana Gabbard, 78, a retired University of Hawaii professor.
Local reports citing police said the victim had been beaten with a hammer and suffered multiple stab wounds.
The incident occurred on May 25th.Number At Figiel’s home in the village of Vaivase Uta, about three miles from Samoa’s capital, Apia.
Figiel’s home also reportedly served as a local movie theater.
Samoa Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo said the two men had been arguing before the incident turned violent, according to the newspaper. It is unclear what started the argument.
Local media reports said Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor and the two women were friends and colleagues.
Sinabiana Gabbard was the sister of Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard and the aunt of Tulsi Gabbard.
According to her family, she was an accomplished author, educator and environmental activist, and the first Samoan to hold a professorship in the United States.
Mike Gabbard said he was proud of his sister’s accomplishments in life and that the two grew up very close.
“Caroline was my best friend when we were teenagers,” Mike Gabbard said in a statement. Spectrum News.
“My mother helped me immensely through my rebellious teenage years. She got me hooked on reading and I followed in her footsteps as an English major at Sonoma State University in California before returning to our native American Samoa to teach high school English and serve for many years as a community college teacher, guidance counselor and department chair,” he continued. “I love her dearly and wish her the best as she continues her journey.”
Gabbard also expressed her intention to forgive her killer, but said she hopes justice is served and that the killer “is punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
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