Testimony describes Kahea's injuries
By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer
Jurors in the trial of Christopher Aki, accused of killing 11-year-old Kahealani "Kahea" Indreginal in December 2002, heard gripping testimony from the city's medical examiner yesterday and watched a videotaped interview of Aki admitting to police that he smoked crystal methamphetamine the day before Kahealani disappeared.
Kahealani died from "assaultive type injuries to the head and neck area" consistent with being struck with a blunt object, city medical examiner Dr. Kanthi von Guenthner testified.
AKI
"Her injuries could not have been cause by a fist blow — they had to have been cause by a blunt object," von Guenthner said.
Prosecutor Peter Carlisle claims the girl died on Dec. 10, 2002 after being struck repeatedly by a pipe wielded by Aki, 21, who is charged with second-degree murder.
Aki's lawyer, Todd Eddins, says that the girl's uncle, Dennis Cacatian, killed her by hitting her in the head with a large rock and stabbing her with a knife after Aki and the girl went to a park at the top of 'Aiea Heights to confront Cacatian about touching the girl in a sexually inappropriate way.
Eddins contends Aki falsely confessed because Cacatian put a gun to his head and threatened to kill him and his family if he told the truth.
Von Guenthner yesterday testified the girl was struck with such force that her jawbone was broken in two areas and "completely separated" from her skull and that her "soft palate" was also fractured.
Von Guenthner said she found numerous stab wounds on the girl's neck but could not say whether that contributed to her death because of the condition of the body found three days after death.
There was no evidence that the girl had been sexually assaulted, von Guenthner said.
In response to questions from Eddins, von Guenthner said the stab wounds could have been caused by a pocket knife. She could not say how many times the girl was struck with the blunt object, but that the circular markings on the girl's stomach looked like they could have been caused by the end of a pipe.
While there was some indication that Kalealani may have been struck on the top of her head, the skull itself was not broken, von Guenthner said. She said it is possible for someone to be struck with force sufficient enough to cause a fatal brain injury even though the skull is not fractured.
Eddins did not ask von Guenthner directly if a large rock found near the girl's body could have caused her injuries.
The jury also viewed about one-third of a videotaped interview police detectives held with Aki at about 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, about four hours after the girl's body had been discovered. During an interview at about 2 p.m. earlier that day, Aki said he had nothing to do with the killing.
About 10 or 15 minutes into the second interview, detective Sheryl Sunia told Aki that enhanced video images show Kahealani riding in the front seat of Aki's car on the day the girl disappeared.
"That would be impossible, ma'am," Aki replied.
Asked why several witnesses have reported seeing the girl in his car, Aki said: "I cannot explain that. You know, there's so much people that don't like me there (at Halawa housing), that hate me, so much people that look like me, they all ... they would always tell me they would see me there on many occasions and I have proof of that."
Detective Bruce Swann told Aki several times during the interview that police are certain that he killed the girl, but don't know why and that Aki owes it to the girl's family to explain what led to the killing.
But Aki said he had nothing to do with Kahealani's disappearance.
When Aki was told that two of his friends said that he told them the afternoon that the girl disappeared that he had to pick up the girl, Aki replied, "That's not true."
When Sunia insisted that's what the friends told police, Aki said they were high on crystal methamphetamine. He then admitted to smoking ice the day before Kahealani disappeared. He said he has smoked "ice" for the past five or six years and hates what the drug does to him.
Swann told Aki investigators now have the answer to why the girl was killed.
The trial is scheduled to resume this morning.
Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030.
