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Hundreds attend More than 200 friends and relatives gathered in the grassy area next to building 3 of the Puuwai Momi housing complex last night to sing, to pray, and to remember the little girl who was running and playing among them just days ago.
slain girl’s vigil
'Kahea is dancing with angels'
Suspect's mother in dark
Find 'divine intervention'By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comStanding in a circle, people of all ages held burning candles high as a symbol of faith that Kahealani Indreginal, "went home to her heavenly father," as one woman shared with the crowd,
There were light-hearted moments as one aunty led the group in an uneven round of the song "Row, row, row your boat." And yet there seemed to be a sad emphasis on the line, "life is but a dream."
Underneath the surface of people supporting the family who lost a child of such promise was an undercurrent of anger against the 20-year-old Christopher Clayburn Aki, a 2000 Aiea High School graduate and the boyfriend of Indreginal's older sister, Tanya Mamala-Tumbaga.
Aki has been arrested in connection with Indreginal's death and that hurts.
"We considered him as family," said Luella Tinoga, a cousin of Kahealani's mother, Lehua.
As police questioned Aki about the girl's death, "it's like having a stranger amongst us," she said, shaking her head as she sat over an uneaten plate of food after the candlelight vigil.
"He's lucky he's locked up," Tinoga said. "God help him. There's a lot of anger here."
Tinoga said that her cousin Lehua had a bad feeling about Kahealani's disappearance.
"We knew from the beginning it had to be someone she knew because these kids, they travel in packs and she would never approach a car of someone she didn't know," Tinoga said.
