Pali shooting defendant
claims self-defenseThe prosecutor notes that witnesses
have received death threats
One of three defendants accused in the fatal shootings Jan. 7 at the Pali Golf Course told police he fired in self-defense.
Rodney Joseph Jr., 35, who surrendered to police the next day after hearing from friends that he was a suspect, told homicide Detective Kathleen Osmond that he saw a group of males coming at him and he shot to defend himself.
"He heard a shot and he began shooting, but didn't know if he had been shot," Osmond testified.
Joseph also claimed he blacked out during the incident, she said.
The statements were revealed at a hearing yesterday in Circuit Court on the prosecution's motion to hold Joseph and codefendants Kevin Gonsalves, 33, and Ethan Motta, 34, without bail pending trial.
The three were indicted last month in the shooting deaths of Lepo Taliese and his brother-in-law Romelius "Lawrence" Corpuz, and for wounding Taliese's brother, Tino Sao.
Police say the shootings apparently stemmed from several factions fighting for control of security at illegal gambling parlors throughout Oahu.
Circuit Judge Michael Town found that Joseph and Gonsalves -- who both have criminal records -- are flight risks and ordered both held without bail. He also found Joseph poses a danger to other persons and the community based on previous convictions. Town also confirmed $1 million bail for Motta, who has no criminal history other than a 1992 reckless driving conviction but removed the cash-only provision ordered earlier by another judge.
Joseph, a professional kickboxer from Waianae, allegedly told Osmond he was at the Pali Golf Course to arbitrate a dispute over one group or another, said his attorney Michael Green.
Green argued that bail for Joseph should be reduced to at least $250,000 because he voluntarily turned himself in -- unlike the other two -- after learning he was a possible suspect, made a statement and surrendered the car witnesses described as fleeing the scene.
Deputy Prosecutor Chris Van Marter cited the seriousness of the circumstances and the defendants' flight after the shootings in arguing that all three are at risk of fleeing and not showing up for trial.
He said the surviving victim is in serious danger if any of the defendants are released. He said threats have been made against potential witnesses at the golf course and family members of the shooting victims.
Osmond confirmed a threatening letter was left at the church before the funeral of one of the victims. The note said something to the effect that "the truth was going to come out, they better watch out and better watch the church," Osmond said.
An earlier phone threat received by a golf course employee was a warning that they "better not testify in the shooting or else they all gonna die," Osmond said.
While he wasn't accusing the defendants or their families of making the calls, "they're the ones with the motive," not the victim's families, Van Marter said.
Deputy public defender Todd Eddins and Green both objected to testimony about the threats, saying there's no evidence their clients were behind the threats.
Van Marter cited Joseph's previous felony convictions for first-degree burglary and first-degree terroristic threatening as evidence that he is a danger to others and the community.
