2 slaying suspects accused in robbery
By Curtis Lum and David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writers
Two men who are accused of shooting two men to death at the Pali Municipal Golf Course last month were arrested this week in connection with an August 2003 armed robbery of an illegal gambling house.
Rodney Joseph, 36, and Kevin Gonsalves, 33, were arrested Wednesday and booked on one count of first-degree robbery. Both men were already being held without bail in connection with the Jan. 7 Pali shootings.
Joseph was indicted Jan. 13 along with Ethan "Malu" Motta, 34, and Gonsalves on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and firearms charges in connection with the shooting deaths of Lepo Utu Taliese, 44, and Romilius Corpuz, 40.
A third man, Tinoimalu Sao, 42, was shot in the head and has been reported by police to be in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center since the shooting. Police have said a power struggle between two factions that provide security for O'ahu's illegal casinos led to the golf course shootings.
In the robbery case, police said a group of men forced their way into an illegal gambling house in Pearl City at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 30. Two men, identified to police as Joseph and Gonsalves, robbed patrons of money at gunpoint while the other men acted as lookouts, police said.
In addition to cash, police said, the group left with gambling devices.
Also yesterday, a state judge ruled that Joseph, Gonsalves and Motta will have to provide blood or other body cells to the prosecution for DNA testing.
Prosecutors want to check the defendants' DNA against blood that was recovered at the golf course and in or on cars police believe were used by the trio to flee after the shooting.
Circuit Judge Michael Town granted a prosecution request that the men be made to provide blood or tissue collected from a mouth swab despite objections from the lawyers for Joseph, Motta and Gonsalves that forcing the men to provide DNA samples violates their constitutional right against unreasonable search.
City Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter said investigators want to determine if the "blood-like" substance gathered at the shooting scene belongs to any of the defendants in the case or is solely that of the victims.
Town also granted a prosecution request to keep identifying details — such as social security numbers, home addresses and telephone numbers — of victims and witnesses in the case out of the hands of the three defendants.
Van Marter said after the hearing that the lawyers for the three men will have access to the information but that "redacting it" from copies of police reports given to the defendants will help guard against the possibility of witness retaliation or intimidation.
Town postponed the start of the trial for the trio from March until the week of Oct. 18 at the request of the defense attorneys, who cited heavy workloads, and without objection by Van Marter.
Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030. Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.
