Pali shooting suspect released on bail
By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer
One of the three men charged with first-degree murder in connection with a Jan. 7 shooting at the Pali Golf Course has been released on $1 million bail to await trial.
Ethan "Malu" Motta of Hilo was released on Monday after Bail Hawaii posted a $1 million bond on his behalf. A bond is a pledge by the bail company to pay the state $1 million if Motta fails to show up for his trial or other court proceedings.
Motta was allowed to return to Hilo and is supposed to be staying at his parents' home. A hearing is scheduled in Honolulu on Monday to consider a request by Motta to modify conditions of his release so that he can reside on the Big Island with his longtime girlfriend and mother of his three children.
A Bail Hawaii representative confirmed yesterday that the company posted bail on Motta's behalf but declined to give his name or say if real estate or other kinds of collateral were used to secure the bond.
In Hawai'i, bail bond companies typically charge 10 percent of the amount of the bond that is posted, but sometimes charge less if the bond is high and it can be backed up with substantial real estate or things of established value.
Although the bail was posted on his behalf, Motta was assigned a state deputy public defender after filling out a form that said he is unemployed and does not have money of his own to hire a lawyer.
Honolulu prosecutors had sought to hold Motta, 34, Kevin Gonsalves, 33, and Rodney Joseph, 35, without bail until their trial, tentatively set for October, saying the three are flight risks and a danger to the community.
Circuit Judge Michael Town on Feb. 12 ordered Gonsalves and Joseph held without bail but kept bail at $1 million for Motta and removed a cash-only requirement after a number of Hilo residents testified or submitted letters on his behalf.
All three men face charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder and firearms offenses 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 was reported by police to be in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center in the days following the shooting.
Police have said a power struggle between two factions that provide security for O'ahu's illegal casinos led to the shooting.
Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030.
