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Prosecution says
no sign of abuse;
wife indicted
for murder

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By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

There were no arguments or apparent marital discord between Abe and Sabrina Fiaai right before Feb. 7 that could explain why she stabbed him in the neck as he slept, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors ruled out self-defense because of the absence of domestic strife at that time and because Abe Fiaai was sleeping.

Based on those circumstances, prosecutors presented the case to an Oahu grand jury yesterday, which indicted Sabrina Fiaai, 36, with second-degree murder.

Fiaai was arrested shortly after the stabbing and released pending further investigation.

Prosecutors say it took them this long to file charges because they wanted to ensure the investigation was fair.

Fiaai had sought five restraining orders against her husband in the last 10 years, so prosecutors wanted to look into any potential self-defense or battered-spouse syndrome defense that could explain her actions.

Just because the couple had marital problems in the past doesn't mean it's related to the stabbing or explains her motive, said Deputy Prosecutor Lynne McGivern.

"Over the last several months, we looked carefully at the evidence and talked to witnesses, the past TROs and events of that morning and concluded it's just to charge her with murder (in the) second (degree)."

The couple, who lived at the Institute for Human Services, were visiting Abe Fiaai's older brother for the weekend at their rented Makakilo townhome when the stabbing occurred about 4 a.m.

Loriann Shoaf, Abe Fiaai's niece, had come home about 3 a.m. and saw Sabrina Fiaai up with two of the couple's younger children in the living room, according to court documents.

Abe Fiaai was asleep on the living room floor with his 9-year-old son sleeping on the nearby couch.

Shoaf spoke to Sabrina Fiaai then went upstairs to bed. A half hour later, she heard Fiaai yelling obscenities, telling her husband he was going to die.

The 9-year-old boy on the couch awoke during the commotion to see a knife sticking out of his father's neck, McGivern said. He ran upstairs to get his aunt.

Sabrina Fiaai fled the home with two of her toddlers and was arrested just down the road.

She called her husband's niece two days later to apologize. According to Shoaf, Fiaai said she stabbed her husband for no reason while he slept.

Fiaai was admitted to Queen's and placed on suicide watch.

A warrant for her arrest has been issued and she will be arraigned on the murder charge after she is placed in state custody.