Court filings detail interviews of suspect in girl's murder
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
The man accused of murdering 11-year-old Kahealani Indreginal first told police he and others killed the girl, but later told them he took "sole responsibility" for slaying the girl on the day she disappeared on Dec. 10, according to court papers filed by city prosecutors.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 23, 2002
Kahealani was reported missing on Dec. 11 and her body was discovered Dec. 13 at Ke'aiwa Heiau in 'Aiea following a massive search.
Christopher Aki named several other people as being involved in the killing, along with himself, city prosecutors said.
Christopher Aki, 21, and Deputy Public Defender Todd Eddings are asking Circuit Judge Virginia Crandall to throw out Aki's statements. Eddings is contending that Aki was not properly advised of his constitutional rights to a lawyer and to remain silent.
Crandall will hear the request tomorrow and Friday.
City prosecutors filed papers last week outlining what they say was a series of police interviews with Aki.
In the court papers, they said that when Aki was first interviewed the morning of Dec. 13 before Kahealani's body was found, he was not advised of his constitutional rights because he was not a suspect in any crime. But police brought Aki back for a second interview at 6:03 p.m., four hours after the girl's body was discovered, based on statements by two witnesses who said they saw Aki with a girl fitting Kahealani's description, the prosecutors said.
Aki was advised of his constitutional rights but waived it before the second interview, the prosecutors said.
City prosecutors said that during an interview with detectives Sheryl Sunia and Bruce Swann, Aki named several other people as being involved in the killing, along with himself.
On Dec. 14, Aki was told about his rights again and he voluntarily took a polygraph test, the prosecutors said. The court papers do not say what the findings were.
Following the test, Aki was warned of his rights again and changed his story in an interview with Sunia and Detective Cliff Rubio, according to the prosecutors. In that statement, Aki took "sole responsibility" for killing Kahealani on Dec. 10, the last time the girl was seen alive, the prosecutors said.
On Dec. 15, Aki reconstructed the crime at the actual location in the company of Detective Kenneth Higa after being advised of his constitutional rights, according to prosecutors.
"The state is honestly at a loss to see how police, in properly Mirandizing the defendant (warning Aki of his rights) and then conducting subsequent interviews, can be said to have exploited any supposed initial illegality in the taking of the first statement," the prosecutors said.
Eddins was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Aki's murder trial was postponed earlier this month from Sept. 15 until March of next year.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
