A Maui man is sentenced to 20 years behind bars for killing his wife's lover.
Seniola Kafoa, 47, received the maximum sentence on Thursday after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter in May.
Kafoa was accused of killing Sione Paletua, 53, with a machete in Kaanapali last year because Paletua was having an affair with his wife.
"Sentencing him to prison, your honor, is the only appropriate sentence in this case. It will send a message not only to the defendant, but to the people of Maui that you don't get a pass to kill someone because your wife was cheating," said Prosecutor Frank Loyd and Judge Peter Cahill agreed.
On July 22, 2024, Kafoa was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after Paletua was found unresponsive after suffering from a severe injury to his arm Saturday morning in Kaanapali.
Two days before his arrest, at approximately 11:46 a.m., Lahaina patrol officers initially responded to the area of 2010 Honoapiilani Highway in Kaanapali.
Upon arrival, a bystander led MPD officers to the victim who was observed to be breathing but was unresponsive and suffering from a severe injury to his arm, according to the MPD.
A tourniquet was applied to the victim's arm by a responding officer and life-saving measures were initiated. Paletua was then transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center but later succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses said Kafoa was standing over Paletua's body after the attack and then fled the scene in his red 2007 Honda Element. The car was found abandoned off Honoapiilani Highway in Olowalu at 1:08 p.m., and Kafoa was located and arrested about three hours later at Honokowai Park.
