Man who killed newlywed wife being retried
A man who killed his wife six weeks after they married in 1991 intended to end her life because he believed she had sex with her stepfather, the state says.Muao Maelega barricaded a door before he strangled his 18-year-old wife Eyvette, slit her throat and stabbed her in the chest, Deputy Prosecutor Maurice Arrisgado said yesterday during opening statements in Maelega's second murder trial.
"At the end of the trial, I will ask you to hold him accountable for killing his wife without any justification at all and that is murder in the second-degree," he said.
But Keith Shigetomi, Maelega's attorney, said his client snapped in a flood of emotions and was guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter.
A jury in 1992 convicted Maelega of murder, but the state Supreme Court in 1993 threw out the conviction because of faulty jury instructions.
Justices found that the instructions incorrectly put the burden of proof on Maelega to show that he was under distress at the time, Feb. 17, 1991.
U.S. House allots record sum for isle military construction
A record $203 million for Hawaii military construction won approval yesterday as the U.S. House passed the fiscal 1999 defense budget, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie says.The action also set aside $20 million for the Army's purchase in fee simple of Campbell Estate land in the Kahuku Training Area. "This is a new record for money authorized in the House for Hawaii military construction," said Abercrombie (D, urban Honolulu). "I fought for these projects because the military needs them, and Hawaii working families need the jobs and money they bring."
Hawaii projects authorized by the committee are:
Schofield Barracks, family housing replacement, 64 units, $14.7 million.
Women's business clothes needed
The Clothes Closet Project, providing work attire for women in transitional situations, needs donated women's business clothes.Sponsored by the Hawaii Women Lawyers and the Women's Resource Center of the YWCA, the program donates the clothes to women trying to get off welfare or leave a domestic violence situation.
Please bring clean, pressed business clothing on hangers and dress shoes in good condition to the Richards Street YWCA on the following drop-off days: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to noon May 30; and 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. June 2.
For more information, call 522-0673, or 532-5630.
Kailua Beach Park is Dr. Beach's No. 1 spot
Kailua Beach Park, with powder white sand, nearby bed and breakfasts and plentiful parking, earned the No. 1 ranking in the annual list of the nation's top beaches.Hawaii, with its volcanic formations and clear water, earned six of the top spots, said Stephen Leatherman, an environmental studies professor who has released his list as "Dr. Beach" for eight years.
Florida can boast eight of this year's Top 20.
The news of Kailua's move to the top -- it was No. 2 last year -- came as no surprise to Peggy Hastings of the Kailua Chamber of Commerce. "Well, yes, of course," she said matter of factly.
There are no hotels near the beach, but the area features many bed and breakfasts.
It's also known for windsurfing, kayaking and is home to the University of Hawaii's sand castle competition.
USS Pearl Harbor arrives at San Diego
The USS Pearl Harbor, a Navy dock landing ship, arrived at San Diego yesterday for commissioning.The May 30 ceremony will feature U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye as principal speaker.
The 609-foot ship honors Pearl Harbor Naval Base and those Americans who responded to the Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack.
The ship's mission is to transport Marines and launch assault landing craft and helicopters.
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Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffPolice search for pair who robbed cab drive
Police are searching for two men who robbed a taxi driver at gunpoint this morning.A driver for Charley's Taxi picked up two men at the 7-Eleven on Nuuanu Avenue and Kuakini Street at 4:20 a.m., police said.
The driver took the men to Kunawai Neighborhood Park in Kamehameha Heights.
One suspect then brandished a sawed-off shotgun or rifle and pointed it at the driver. The other man placed a knife to the driver's neck, police said. The suspects took the man's wallet containing $175 and ordered the man to get out of the vehicle.
The driver walked to Liliha Bakery, where he called police.
The two suspects fled with the taxi cab, police said. At 5:35 a.m., patrol units found the car behind Kuakini Hospital.
Four arrested for giving unlicensed massages
Police last night arrested three women and one girl at a Salt Lake naval housing area for allegedly giving unlicensed massages.Undercover officers went into Mystical Dreams at 3226 Peterson Court at about 10:20 p.m. when they were reportedly offered "therapeutic and sensual body rubs," an officer said.
Three women, 31, 18, 21, and a 17-year-old girl were booked and released for not having licenses, police said. The owner of the business was cited by the state consumer and regulatory agencies.
Police fire drill evacuates headquarters
The police headquarters had a fire drill which evacuated police personnel for 15 minutes this morning.The drill was the first since police moved to the Beretania Street complex in September 1992.
A police spokeswomen said in case of a fire, all suspects being held in jail cells would be evacuated in addition to the 911 emergency operators.
The 911 system is backed up to the municipal building in case of a fire, she said.
Kahuku man arrested in purse snatching
A 19-year-old Kahuku man was arrested yesterday in connection with a purse snatching in Haleiwa.Police said the man allegedly grabbed a 34-year-old woman's purse while she was eating at Jamison's By the Sea restaurant.
The restaurant manager chased the suspect and recovered the purse when he dropped it, police said.
Officers located the man at 8:44 p.m. after searching the area.
Gunshots at park result in arrests of three
Police arrested three men for allegedly firing a gun at Hau Bush Beach Park in Ewa Beach last night.An officer saw the men drive into the park in a vehicle at about 8:55 p.m., police said. The officer heard three or four "pops."
The officer pursued the vehicle out of the park and found a handgun from under the driver's seat. The three Ewa Beach men, 20, 21, 25, were booked for firearms violations and reckless endangerment.
Tracer rounds start fire in brush at Schofield
Tracer bullets fired during gunnery practice set off a brush fire on the Schofield Barracks firing range.Two acres of brush burned yesterday as brisk tradewinds spread the fire in the uninhabited area near the Waianae mountain range.
Firefighters fought the blaze for seven hours before it was reported extinguished just after 6 p.m.
The Honolulu Fire Department helicopter and a Marine helicopter dropped water on the smoky line of fire, which was visible for miles.
Meanwhile, a fire on open land near Manager's Drive and Hiapo Street in Waipahu kept four Honolulu Fire Department units occupied.
Big isle police dog sniffs out pound of ice
HILO -- Police narcotics dog Malia was credited yesterday with sniffing out a parcel mailed from California that contained a pound of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, valued at $100,000, police said.There were no arrests.
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