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Murder victim’s mom
pleased with verdict

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By Gary T. Kubota
Star-Bulletin

WAILUKU -- The mother of a 24-year-old man who was shot to death in Kipahulu said she's happy about a jury verdict that will put killer Edward Dean in prison without the possibility of parole.

"We're glad he won't be out with free people. He doesn't deserve it. He took my son," said Anne Schimberg of Sarasota, Fla.

"We feel that some justice has been done, and that's the most important thing."

A Maui Circuit jury yesterday convicted Dean, 45, of a number of felonies, including the second-degree murder of Seth Schimberg.

Dean was also found guilty of first-degree attempted murder, which carries the most severe penalty, a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

His sentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on April 25 before Judge Artemio Baxa.

Dean's bail was continued at $700,000.

Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Jenkins said Dean was found guilty on the higher charge of first-degree attempted murder because he tried to kill two other persons after murdering Schimberg.

Anne Schimberg said her son Seth lived on Maui for about a year and called the family once a week.

"We'll miss him terribly," she said.

She said her son was a sous chef in Lahaina before moving to Kipahulu, where he worked on the land and was thinking of opening a bed and breakfast.

Seth Schimberg's dreams were shattered on the night of Nov. 29, 1999, when he was shot by Dean outside a community kitchen on a 47-acre parcel of land where they lived with a number of other people in tents and shacks.

The dispute stemmed from an argument about $1,000 that had been received by Dean while living on the property owned by Schimberg's girlfriend, Nani Berg.

Dean later wounded Berg, also known as Nani Hoopai, in the arm and was accused of firing a shot at another tenant, Harry Perry Jr.

Dean, who claimed self-defense, said he fired a revolver at Schimberg who was trying to strike him with a wooden stick.

Defense attorney Susan Arnett said Dean shot at Berg with the intent of scaring her because he thought she had a weapon.

He denied firing at Perry.

Forensic evidence showed gunpowder residue on Schimberg's palms but none on the back of his hands, indicating he was raising his hands in defense, Jenkins argued.

John Belna, another tenant, testified he saw Schimberg raise his hands and move away from Dean before being shot.