On the second day of the trial of Samoan writer Sia Figiel, police officers who investigated the case said the defendant told them that she killed Dr. Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard.
Figiel, charged with murder, is alleged to have killed Dr. Gabbard in a brutal attack involving a knife last year.
The Samoa Observer reports that three police officers took the stand testifying on their investigations into this incident on May 24, 2024, at the Vaivase-Uta home of the defendant where the body of Dr. Gabbard was found.
Senior Sergeant Lelefu Ma’atusi explained that he took Figiel’s caution statement on May 26, 2024.
He told the court they were about to finish duty that day when they received a call from a woman named Cecilia, the defendant’s cousin, reporting a dead body at Figiel’s home at Vaivase-Uta.
Ma’atusi told the court he did not attend the scene but was with Figiel when she was brought over to the Police Headquarters at the Criminal Investigation Department.
He said he saw Figiel crying when she arrived and did not have any problem giving her statement to Police that day.
When Prosecutor Leinafo Taimalelagi told him to read out one of the pages of the defendant’s statement, Ma’atusi said: “She was told that she has the right to seek legal counsel for her matter and she said, ‘I don’t want a lawyer because I was the one who killed Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard.'”
It was the same statement made by Constable Steven Tonumaipe’a, who witnessed Figiel’s statement at the police station.
Tonumaipe’a also testified that when police attended the scene on May 26, 2024, the house was locked. He said later on, the accused’s cousin, Cecilia, came with the key, allowing police to enter and begin their investigation.
He said scattered clothes and blood were seen at the entrance of the house. A safe was blocking the bathroom door, and after taking photos of the safe and the room, they tried to move it away from the entrance.
“That’s where Cecilia told us that the dead body is placed, which is in the shower,” he said.
The witness testified they couldn’t cope with the smell when they entered the bathroom.
“After photos were taken, we placed the dead body into the body bag and transported it to the morgue for further investigations.”
Tonumaipe’a further stated that there was a hammer and a kitchen knife were found on a table in the house when they entered the crime scene.
Photo: Samoa Observer
