Aki confessed to murder out of fear, lawyer says

By David Waite and Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writers

A city prosecutor provided a Circuit Court jury yesterday with a grisly account of Christopher Aki beating 11-year-old Kahealani "Kahea" Indreginal with a pole — despite her plea to stop — and leaving her to die at a state park above 'Aiea Heights.

Christopher Aki sits at the defendant's table as his trial for the murder of Kahealani Indreginal begins. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"He confessed to something he didn't do because the guy was scared out of his mind," Deputy Public Defender Todd Eddins said during his opening statement as Aki's trial began on a charge of second-degree murder.

Eddins said the killer is Kahealani's uncle, a reference to Dennis Cacatian. Cacatian has denied the allegation and is expected to testify during the trial.

Aki, 21, former boyfriend of Kahealani's older sister, is accused of slaying the sixth-grader. Her disappearance from the Pu'uwai Momi public housing in Halawa where she lived triggered a massive search. Her body was found three days later on Dec. 13, 2002, off the 'Aiea Loop Trail.

Aki sat almost motionless while city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle alleged that Aki had beaten the girl the day she disappeared.

Carlisle said before Aki confessed, he made up a series of false stories first denying any involvement, then accusing others to hide what he had done. Carlisle also said Aki smoked crystal methamphetamine the day before the killing.

The prosecutor showed the jury two photographs of the girl's decomposed body. "There was little left of her face," he said.

The confession came after police delivered a note from his mother that read: "Mom loves you unconditionally and the truth will set you free."

Carlisle said Aki told detectives that he drove Kahealani to see the heiau near the trail and that he had accidentally spit on her mouth. "We were talking and giggling and laughing and I accidentally spit and she slapped me and I punched her out cold," Aki told police.

Then he beat her on the back of the head with a pole, Carlisle said.

"I just hit her," Aki said to detectives. "I kept on hitting her. The last time, I poked her on the side to see if she was breathing."

Aki used water from his car's trunk to wash his hands, then waited 10 minutes before returning to Kahealani, Carlisle said.

She was sitting up and Aki struck her again, Carlisle said. But she said something, too.

" 'Stop it, Chris,' " Aki told detectives. "That's when I just lost it again."

Aki hit her several more times, killing her, Carlisle said.

DNA found in blood taken from three places in Aki's car matched that of the girl, Carlisle said.

"Kahealani's blood from the killing was found in his car precisely from the locations where the defendant said it was," Carlisle said.

"That is scientific proof that Kahea had been in his car and that is scientific proof that Kahea's blood had been in his car," he said.

Defense attorney Eddins told the jury Aki made the "fatal mistake" of taking Kahealani with him when he confronted the girl's uncle about what Aki believed were sexual advances Cacatian was making toward her.

Eddins said the girl died from being stabbed in the neck with a pen knife and bashed in the head with a "boulder." The boulder was recovered by an investigator from the Public Defender's office on Dec. 26, 2002, just feet from where the girl's body was found, Eddins said.

The rock appeared to have blood on it and tests done by a Mainland lab showed that it was in fact blood and that the DNA matched the girl's, Eddins said.

More recent tests on a blood-stained watch found in Aki's car showed it to be Aki's but also that the "primary contributor was some other male," Eddins said.

Eddins claims that Cacatian was smoking crystal methamphetamine with another man at the park atop 'Aiea Heights when Aki arrived with the girl in his car. He said the other blood on the watch "looks like" it was from the man Cacatian was with.

Aki had arranged the meeting with the girl's uncle in hopes of resolving Kahealani's concerns about the way in which the uncle was "touching her," Eddins said.

He said the girl never told Aki that her uncle was sexually molesting her, but that Aki assumed that was the case because Cacatian was a "convicted rapist."

Eddins said Cacatian asked Aki, "What's she doing here" as the girl and Aki approached in Aki's car and that Aki told him, "She says you're touching her and she doesn't like it."

The uncle replied, "What, you believe her?" Eddins said. Aki said he believed her and the uncle became "agitated," Eddins said.

The uncle ordered Kahealani out of the car, told Aki to go back to his car and led the girl down a path, Eddins said. A few minutes later, Aki followed and saw her body lying on the ground "with blood all over her neck and sees the knife in Dennis' hand," Eddins said.

Eddins said Aki thought police would realize that he was lying when he confessed, but "the police wanted to rock and roll with something. 'Oh, he freaks out because he had used ice the day before.' "

Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030 and Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.