Samoan Murderer
p. 89 · Read in the full issue
Sentenced
Apia, Dec. 26.
AFTER two days’ hearing before His Honour, Chief Judge C. C. Marsack and a jury of three Europeans and one Samoan, the case against Puna Tia lavea, who was charged with the murder of a Samoan youth. Lui Jose, 16 years old, was terminated on December 11.
Puna Tialavea, a cripple, had brutally murdered, for trivial reasons, the Samoan lad Lui Jose, by attacking him un awares with a large bush knife.
The assessors found the accused guilty of murder, but made a strong recom mendation to mercy on the grounds that he had not premeditated the killing and that he is affected by an infirmity which has for years caused him much mental and physical suffering.
Tialavea was sentenced to hang but it is believed that the sentence will be com muted to life imprisonment when it is submitted to the Governor-General of New Zealand.