{"id":2257925,"date":"2024-06-02T13:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-02T17:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-aunt-brutally-murdered-prominent-author-arrested\/"},"modified":"2024-06-02T13:10:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-02T17:10:06","slug":"lawmakers-aunt-brutally-murdered-prominent-author-arrested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-aunt-brutally-murdered-prominent-author-arrested\/","title":{"rendered":"Prominent author arrested for brutal murder of lawmaker&#8217;s aunt"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawmakers-aunt-brutally-murdered-prominent-author-arrested%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2257925&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A \u200dformer Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard&#8217;s aunt was tragically murdered \u200cin Samoa. \u200cThe suspected killer, playwright Papalii Sia Figiel,\u200d has been arrested \u2063for the death\u2064 of Caroline\u2064 Sinavaiana-Gabbard. The victim, a former professor at \u2062the\u2063 University of Hawaii, was\u200b the first Samoan-born\u200b person \u200dto become\u2064 a professor at an \u2062American college. \u200dThe incident occurred following an argument at Figiel&#8217;s home, leading to \u2064Gabbard&#8217;s \u2063tragic death.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>  <\/p>\n<h2>Lawmaker&#8217;s Aunt Brutally Murdered, Prominent Author Arrested<\/h2>\n<p> <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/%20\"><span>Jack Davis<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 2, 2024 at 7:36am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>An aunt of former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has been murdered at her home on Samoa.<\/p>\n<p>Samoan playwright Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, has been charged with the death of Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, who was a former professor at the University of Hawaii, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaiinewsnow.com\/2024\/05\/31\/retired-uh-professor-stabbed-beaten-death-by-fellow-writer-samoa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KGMB-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The victim, 78, was the sister of Hawaii state Sen. Mike Gabbard and was the first person of Samoan ancestry to become a professor at an American college.<\/p>\n<p>Figial was first charged with manslaughter, but the charge was later upgraded to murder after police discovered \u201cincriminiating evidence\u201d in the case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaiinewsnow.com\/2024\/05\/31\/retired-uh-professor-stabbed-beaten-death-by-fellow-writer-samoa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KGMB<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The two women had been characterized as friends, with local Samoan media describing Gabbard as Figiel\u2019s mentor.<\/p>\n<p>Samoan Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo told local media the killing happened May 25, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/nz\/award-winning-pacific-author-sia-figiel-arrested-charged-with-murder\/6TGAOU7NDFHGRFSZ7SRHA3MLFY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New Zealand Herald<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s Aunt Murdered in Cold Blood: Samoan police have reported that former University of Hawaii professor Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, who is the aunt of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, was murdered at the GaluMoana Theater in Samoa.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BxwwxIGqgh\">https:\/\/t.co\/BxwwxIGqgh<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dTVmyzQE9G\">pic.twitter.com\/dTVmyzQE9G<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2NahBabyNah\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2 (@NahBabyNah) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NahBabyNah\/status\/1796742301576003962?\">June 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Filipo said that an argument took place between Figiel and Gabbard at Figiel\u2019s home prior to Gabbard being killed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Are you a fan of Tulsi Gabbard?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Gabbard suffered multiple stab wounds. A hammer and knife were used, Filipo said.<\/p>\n<p>After the incident, Figiel, who won the 1997 Asia\/Pacific Commonwealth Writer\u2019s Prize for fiction, is alleged to have left Gabbard at her home and visited a friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until Sunday morning while they were having breakfast that [Figiel] told her friend what had happened,\u201d Filipo said.<\/p>\n<p>Figiel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/former-indiana-beauty-queen-arrested-mexican-drug-cartel-bust\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turned herself in<\/a> to police.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Gabbard said he was very close to his sister growing up<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCaroline was my best friend as a teenager,\u201d he said in a statement, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/tulsi-gabbards-aunt-killed-prominent-samoan-author-charged-murder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe helped me considerably during my rebellious stage of adolescence. She got me hooked on reading, so much so that I followed in her footsteps and majored in English at Sonoma State University in California, then returned to our birthplace, American Samoa, where I taught English in high schools and was a faculty member, guidance counselor and dean at the community college for many years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love her deeply and wish her well as she continues her journey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>As of Saturday evening, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tulsi-gabbard-defends-marine-corps-vet-daniel-penny-protector-mindset-isnt-tossed-aside-uniform-taken-off\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> had not released any comment.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>An Important Message from Our Staff:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>In just a few months, the world is going to change forever. The 2024 election is the single most important election of our lifetime. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We here at The Western Journal are committed to covering it in a way the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlin-clark-lands-historic-nike-shoe-deal-worth-millions-just-before-her-rookie-season-kicks-off\/\" title=\"Caitlin Clark Secures Multi-Million Dollar Nike Deal Ahead of Rookie Season Kickoff\">establishment media simply<\/a> will not: We will tell the truth, and they will lie.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech and the elites don\u2019t want the truth out. That\u2019s why they have cut us off from 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone cut your monthly income by 90%. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done to people like us. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>As a staff, we are asking you to <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to fight this once-in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-forced-to-cancel-rally-devastated-by-whats-coming-im-so-sorry-god-be-with-you\/\" title=\"Trump expresses deep regret and cancels rally, sending heartfelt apologies and prayers\">-a-lifetime fight<\/a>. Without you not only will The Western Journal fail, but America will fail also. As Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Will you support The Western Journal today and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>become a member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A Western Journal <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/making-a-dent-liability-fears-are-driving-providers-to-drop-gender-affirming-care-for-kids-even-where-its-legal\/\" title=\"Liability fears force providers to abandon 'Gender-Affirming Care' for kids, despite legality.\">radically reduced number<\/a> of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This is the time. America will live or die based on what happens this year. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to get the real truth out and to fight the elites, Big Tech, and the people who want America to fail. Together, we really can save the country.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Thank you for your support!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Please stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44685\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/russdavis\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44685\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44685\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44685\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44685\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues. <br \/> Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com. <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  New York City <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Politics, Foreign Policy, Military &#038; Defense Issues <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author arrested for murder of ex-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard&#8217;s aunt. Samoan playwright Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, charged with Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard&#8217;s death in Samoa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":661,"featured_media":2257926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tulsis-aunt-new-for-june-2-2024.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2257925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tulsis-aunt-new-for-june-2-2024.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/661"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2257925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2257926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2257925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2257925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2257925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}