Man, 29, found guilty in shooting death at Ala Moana game room
COURTESY CRIMESTOPPERS Aaron Tuitelapaga 1 /1 COURTESY CRIMESTOPPERS Aaron Tuitelapaga An Oahu Circuit Court jury found Friday a 29-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and three firearms offenses during a 2020 Ala Moana gambling room robbery.
The jury found Aaron Tuitelapaga guilty of murder in the shooting death of Sausau Togiai III on Aug. 12, 2020.
Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell, who tried the case, said : “Togiai was working as security at the game room that evening. He was fatally shot while trying to stop the robbery.”
Tuitelapaga faces life in prison with the possibility of parole when he is sentenced Oct. 16.
He is also scheduled to stand trial for manslaughter in the July 2023 beating death of 36-year-old Christopher Vaefaga at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
“This is already the second guilty verdict this year for murder at an illegal game room, ” Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said. “And less than two months ago a man was indicted for a separate game room murder.
“These establishments are not only illegal. They are extremely dangerous for the people who work there, the people who squander their money there, and the people who try to rob the game rooms.
“We will continue to work with the Honolulu Police Department and other partners to close these illicit businesses and prosecute those who commit crimes at them.”
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