Attorney General Anne Lopez's office recently disclosed the indictment of Aaron Tuitelapaga, Bronson Tuitelelepaga, Manu Sorenson, and Josiah Palimoomanu on manslaughter charges following the death of inmate Christopher Vaefaga. Manslaughter carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
According to the Attorney General’s press release announcing the charges, Vaefaga was discovered unresponsive in his cell on July 6 and passed away that same day. The defendants were indicted by a grand jury, with First Circuit Court Judge Ronald G. Johnson setting bail for Palimoomanu at $500,000. The remaining defendants are being held without bail.
The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that police were called to Oahu Community Correctional Center after an unresponsive inmate required a defibrillator past 8:40 p.m. on July 6. This followed the discovery of Vaefaga by security and medical staff who found him unconscious and unresponsive. The medical examiner arrived at 9:26 p.m. and pronounced Vaefaga dead.
Hawaii News Now states that prison officials conducted a contraband search and initiated an internal investigation in the week following Vaefaga's death. Several agencies participated in this operation, including the Attorney General’s office and the sheriff’s Narcotics Enforcement Division.
Honolulu Civil Beat reveals that at the time of Vaefaga's death, two of the four suspects, Tuitelapaga and Tuitelelepaga were awaiting trial on second-degree murder charges related to a 2020 shooting incident. Sorenson had been convicted of manslaughter in connection with a 2018 event while Palimoomanu was awaiting trial on assault charges. Vaefaga himself had been awaiting trial on harassment and second-degree assault charges.
In July 2023, Honolulu Civil Beat reported that Vaefaga was the fourth inmate to be murdered in state prisons since 2020. The publication also highlighted that corrections officers at Oahu Community Correctional Center had been working overtime due to staff shortages, increasing the likelihood of overlooking potential issues. This included the situation where Vaefaga and two of the men accused in his death were members of different gangs. When officers were summoned to check on Vaefaga, they discovered a man with head injuries and a stiff body, indicating he had been dead for some time.