Waipahu beating
called retaliatoryA suspect in the death of an
By Debra Barayuga
18-year-old says the victim
hurt his cousin
Star-BulletinOne of two males who beat and severely kicked an 18-year-old man at a Waipahu 7-Eleven store a week ago accused the victim of beating up his cousin the night before.
Vaovai Faateleupu, also known as Viliamu, suffered a fracture to his right eye socket, head injuries and bleeding to his brain from the beating. He died at Queen's Hospital on Monday.
Police have charged a 17-year-old juvenile and Tali Fai, 18, with second-degree murder. Fai is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing in District Court on Monday. He is being held on $200,000 bail.
According to court documents, Faateleupu and Tony Bumphus were walking out of the 7-Eleven just before midnight Aug. 6 when they were confronted by four males.
A boy whom Bumphus recognized asked Faateleupu if he had beat up their cousin. Before Faateleupu could respond, the boy punched Faateleupu in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, according to police.
Bumphus was confronted by another male and they "squared off" in the parking lot so he lost sight of Faateleupu. A short time later, the suspects left in a blue car driven by a female.
Another witness that night also saw Faateleupu being kicked by two males while on the ground.
When police showed Bumphus a 1999 Waipahu High School yearbook, he identified the boy who struck Faateleupu and another male who accompanied him as Tali Fai.
Police spoke with the juvenile's mother who said her son had told her that he was with three other males at 7-Eleven that night when he spoke to Faateleupu, but that Faateleupu threw the first punch.
He told his mother he punched Faateleupu and kicked him and that Fai joined in.
