Jury selection begins today for four men charged in the drive by shooting of the Leone substation two years ago.
The four defendants are Manu Leafatia, Mosegi Solia Jr., Sinapati Tuufaanatu and Tuliese Taliu.
The case moves to trial after many motions filed by defense attorneys including one by Assistant Public defender Karen Shelly for a change of counsel as she’s leaving the island for good and her replacement is arriving early next year.
At a hearing last week, a detective on the case testified that Public Safety Commissioner Save Liuato Tuitele directed the erasing of some information in the police report of the shooting incident.
Detective Savelio Vaofanua said the information that was erased gave the name of an informant who provided statements in the case.
Upon questioning, he said the commissioner felt the need to protect the identity of the informant.
Defense attorneys have said that discovery material was not provided intact by the government, that some of the pages in the police report were either erased or removed.
