A prominent Samoan author and playwright has been charged with murdering the aunt of former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, according to multiple reports.
Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was arrested on Sunday following the death of 78-year-old Caroline Sinabiana Gabbard, a former University of Hawaii professor, in Samoa.
Local reports said the victim had been stabbed multiple times and beaten with a hammer.
Samoa is a country located in the South Pacific Ocean.
The fatal incident happened on May 25 at Figiel’s home in the village of Vaivase Uta, about three miles from the island nation’s capital, Apia.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Figiel’s property also serves as a local theatre.
Samoa’s police commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo, said an argument had begun between the two men before the incident turned violent, the newspaper reported. It was unclear what started the argument.
Local media reports said the two were colleagues and friends, and that Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor.
Sinavia Gabbard was the aunt of Tulsi Gabbard and sister of Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard.
Her family said she was the first Samoan to become a professor in the United States and was an accomplished writer, teacher and environmental activist.
Mike Gabbard said he has been very close with his sister since childhood and is proud of her accomplishments in life.
“Caroline was my best friend during my teenage years,” Mike Gabbard said in a statement to Spectrum News.
“My mother was a great help to me through my rebellious teenage years. She instilled in me a love of reading and I followed in her footsteps as an English major at Sonoma State University in California. I later returned to our native American Samoa to teach high school English and then served for many years as a community college teacher, guidance counselor and department chair.”
“I love her deeply and wish her the best as she continues her journey.”
Mike Gabbard also said that she forgives those responsible for her death, but wants justice to be served and that the person “is punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to Spectrum News, Sinabiana-Gabbard earned a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from Sonoma State University, a master’s in folklore from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in American studies from the University of Hawaii.
She taught Pacific literature at the University of Hawaii for over 20 years until her retirement.
A spokesperson for the congressman’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
