|
Bowling alley case starts
Wednesday,
December 19, 2007
The trial of William Su’a Maea accused of master minding the beating and robbery of the owner of the Bowling Alley in February got underway yesterday afternoon.
In his opening statements Assistant Attorney General Aaron Masser said that Maea had orchestrated the chronicle of events, which took place that night. The prosecutor told the four men and three women jury that Maea pressured his co defendant Molelei Isaako Leaaga into carrying out a plan that he had devised for some time. Leaaga who has struck a plea agreement with the government is a key witness for the prosecution. Masser aid Maea was the one who issued instructions to Leaaga and provided the tools to carry out the beating and robbery.
Leaaga did not follow all of the instructions said Masser. The attorney told the jury they would hear how the business owner was hit from behind and knocked unconscious, then tied up. They would also hear that Maea came out of the Bowling Alley with a bag of stolen items. Maea’s attorney Public Defender Taitai Aviata Faaleavao reserved his opening statements until the government presents its case. Maea is charged with first degfee burglary, first-degree robbery, first degree assault and felonious restraint. The victim was hospitalized for nearly a week. $600 and beer were among the stolen items
| 
