WAILUKU, HI - On Thursday, August 14th, a Maui man was sentenced to 20 years after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter for taking a machete and slaying his wife's lover.
Seniola Kafoa, 47, received a 20-year prison sentence for the death of 53-year-old Sione Paletua, KGMB reported. A jury convicted Kafoa of manslaughter back in May. "Sentencing him to prison, your honor, is the only appropriate sentence in this case," prosecutor Frank Loyd said.
"It will send a message not only to the defendant, but to the people of Maui that you don't get a pass to kill someone because your wife was cheating."
The incident happened on July 20, 2024, on Maui. At the time, police responded to the scene and were met by a man who led them to Paletua who was on the ground unconscious, suffering from a severe injury to his arm.
Officers applied a tourniquet to the arm and paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead when he arrived.
A witness told police he saw Kafoa standing over Paletua's body before driving away in a Honda, according to Law & Crime. Police later found the Honda abandoned and then arrested Kafoa on a second-degree murder charge.
Prosecutors tried Kafoa on the murder count, but jurors opted to convict him of the lesser manslaughter charge instead, much to the chagrin of the victim's family.
"One day he will have to meet his maker, the man above, and he will have to answer to him on why he did what he did," Paletua's oldest daughter said.
He was the father of seven children when he died.
She and her siblings lost their mom to cancer in 2011. Now, they are without both parents. "One of the main things that we will miss about our dad is just having that sense of security," she said.
"We had already lost our mom, and just knowing that in this crazy world, we still had our dad at least."
During the sentencing, Kafoa apologized to Paletua's family through a Tongan interpreter. Circuit Judge Peter Cahill issued the maximum prison sentence under the law.
"It is a horrific death under circumstances that sadly occurred, but the bottom line is, it did happen, and we can't ignore it," he said. Kafoa's attorney, David Pullman, said he believes 20 years in prison is not the answer and wishes his client could instead spend that time giving back to the Paletua family.
"I wish our society could come up with better solutions because it's a waste. It's a waste of another life. One life was already lost, and now another life is going to be spent in prison," Pullman said.
Paleuta's children said it is the least Kafoa can serve for leaving them without a father.
"You've brought a lot of pain to us," the oldest sibling said. "You're only sentenced to 20 years. Me and my siblings, we've been sentenced to life without our dad."
Seniola Kafoa, 47, received a 20-year prison sentence for the death of 53-year-old Sione Paletua, KGMB reported. A jury convicted Kafoa of manslaughter back in May. "Sentencing him to prison, your honor, is the only appropriate sentence in this case," prosecutor Frank Loyd said.
"It will send a message not only to the defendant, but to the people of Maui that you don't get a pass to kill someone because your wife was cheating."
The incident happened on July 20, 2024, on Maui. At the time, police responded to the scene and were met by a man who led them to Paletua who was on the ground unconscious, suffering from a severe injury to his arm.
Officers applied a tourniquet to the arm and paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead when he arrived.
A witness told police he saw Kafoa standing over Paletua's body before driving away in a Honda, according to Law & Crime. Police later found the Honda abandoned and then arrested Kafoa on a second-degree murder charge.
Prosecutors tried Kafoa on the murder count, but jurors opted to convict him of the lesser manslaughter charge instead, much to the chagrin of the victim's family.
"One day he will have to meet his maker, the man above, and he will have to answer to him on why he did what he did," Paletua's oldest daughter said.
He was the father of seven children when he died.
She and her siblings lost their mom to cancer in 2011. Now, they are without both parents. "One of the main things that we will miss about our dad is just having that sense of security," she said.
"We had already lost our mom, and just knowing that in this crazy world, we still had our dad at least."
During the sentencing, Kafoa apologized to Paletua's family through a Tongan interpreter. Circuit Judge Peter Cahill issued the maximum prison sentence under the law.
"It is a horrific death under circumstances that sadly occurred, but the bottom line is, it did happen, and we can't ignore it," he said. Kafoa's attorney, David Pullman, said he believes 20 years in prison is not the answer and wishes his client could instead spend that time giving back to the Paletua family.
"I wish our society could come up with better solutions because it's a waste. It's a waste of another life. One life was already lost, and now another life is going to be spent in prison," Pullman said.
Paleuta's children said it is the least Kafoa can serve for leaving them without a father.
"You've brought a lot of pain to us," the oldest sibling said. "You're only sentenced to 20 years. Me and my siblings, we've been sentenced to life without our dad."
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