WAIMALU — A 21-year-old man who died after being stabbed repeatedly early yesterday by two men at Waimalu Shopping Center is described by his sister as the "favorite in the family."

Marie Sana and her three sisters, Carline Guzman, Adrian Refilong and Judy Jones, were still in shock yesterday afternoon after the vicious attack on their brother, Bill P. Refilong, at about 2 a.m. in front of Star Karaoke bar at 98-020 Kamehameha Highway.

"Why they do this to him? He was a cool guy, quiet," Sana said. "He was the second youngest (child), the family favorite. Always smiling and wearing that (baseball) hat."

The family came to Hawai'i from Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Bill Refilong, a 2001 graduate of 'Aiea High School, had been fishing in Alaska on a commercial boat based in Seattle since September, Sana said. He returned home last month and was planning to go back to Seattle in January, she said.

Her brother was with five other men when he was attacked by two Micronesian men for no apparent reason, according to Sana.

Lt. Bill Kato, supervisor of Honolulu police homicide investigations, said the victim was standing with the group of men in front of Star Karaoke when a light-colored, four-door sedan pulled up.

The two men in the car came out and began stabbing the victim, who had wounds to his neck, chest and back, "some of them rather deep," according to Kato.

"They apparently came out of nowhere, right for the victim," Kato said. "No words were spoken."

Sana said, "We know who one of the guys is and gave his name and telephone number to police." She said she obtained the information from a relative who witnessed the attack. "Why he come and kill him nobody knows. Some guys when they drink they just go out of their mind."

Sana was told by her relative that there was no argument or fight before the attack.

An autopsy determined Refilong died of a stab wound to the neck. He was pronounced dead at Kapi'olani Medical Center at Pali Momi at 2:40 a.m.

No knives were found at the scene, but a leather sheath for a 12-inch knife was recovered, Kato said.

Refilong's brother, Mac, broke the news to Sana yesterday morning as she was getting ready for work.

"Mac told me to sit down and said, 'You know, Marie, something happened to Bill. They beat him up and ...' he stopped talking," Sana said. "I called Pearl City police and found out he was dead."

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.