Arrest in Tonga for 2004 slaying
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A Hawai'i man who was wanted in connection with an April 19, 2004, beating death was arrested Thursday in Tonga.
Police say that John Wilfred Penitani had been on the run since the beating death of Mikiala Kahalewai in front of the Pachinko Karaoke club on Kona Street. Police said Kahalewai was brutally beaten after he urinated in a truck that belonged to another man, Ulutunu Faumuina Jr.
On May 5, 2004, Faumuina and Penitani were indicted on second-degree murder charges. Faumuina was arrested, but Penitani fled the state, federal authorities said.
The Honolulu prosecutor's office asked for assistance from the Hawai'i Fugitive Task Force, which is led by the U.S. Marshal's office. The task force tracked Penitani to Auckland, New Zealand, but he fled to Sydney, Australia, before he could be captured, authorities said.
The marshal's service said investigators came close to arresting Penitani, but on May 28, 2005, he left for Samoa and Tonga. Tongan authorities were asked to track down Penitani, and he was arrested.
Penitani will be returned to Hawai'i to face prosecution once he clears extradition proceedings.
Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
