Man gets 50 years
for killing 74-year-old

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By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.com

A parolee who beat a 74-year-old woman to death while in search of crystal methamphetamine will have to serve at least 50 years behind bars before he can seek parole, according to the Hawaii Paroling Authority.

Samson Kauhi, 39, who pleaded guilty a year ago rather than be tried a second time in the death of Ellen Lum, was among 188 inmates who were issued minimum terms by the HPA in July and August.

Kauhi first was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury in 1995, a decision overturned by the Hawaii Supreme Court because of flawed jury selection. This time, the parole board issued a longer minimum term than the 40 years it originally issued after his first conviction.

Cliff Hunt, Kauhi's attorney, said Tuesday he will petition the Circuit Court to have the parole board reduce the minimum term. He had argued that giving Kauhi more than the 40 years would be punishing him for successfully appealing his conviction.

The state did not make a recommendation to the parole board in Kauhi's case.

Other defendants whose minimum terms were recently announced include:

>> William Medeiros, 40 years of a life term for murdering his girlfriend in December 1970. She was to testify that she had witnessed him kill another man.

>> Sabrina Fiaai, two years out of 20, for fatally stabbing her abusive husband of 15 years in February 2000. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter based on extreme mental and emotional disturbance.

>> Gilbert Martines, a convicted sex offender, eight years out of 10, for attempting to sexually assault a 12-year-old boy he had lured to his McCully apartment between March and April 1999.

>> Joshua Fields, six years out of 10, for breaking into a Waikiki hotel room and robbing and sexually assaulting two female Japanese tourists in April 2000.