Testimony in Sia Figiel murder trial in Samoa ends

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — As the final prosecution witness began to testify in the trial surrounding the murder of Dr Caroline Gabbard in May last year, the accused walked out of the courtroom to break into a fit of wails and loud weeping on Thursday morning (Samoa time).

Dr Cecilia Alailima was giving evidence describing Saturday, May 24, 2024, saying she was at her home in Lotofaga and saw an unidentified vehicle approach her home, according to reports from Samoa media.

She said that as the vehicle stopped, she saw Sia Figiel come out of the car.

It was not until the next morning that Figiel opened up about what had happened earlier.

“It was Sunday morning, and I asked Sia if she wanted to have coffee and something to eat. It was when she said, ‘I have to tell you something, I have done something terrible,'” Dr Alailima told the court.

Through careful questioning, Figiel admitted to her that she may have hurt or even killed someone, and the victim was still inside Figiel’s home in Vaivase-Uta.

Figiel had told Dr Alailima that she was having lunch with her friend when she felt anger, and she blacked out, and she may have used a hammer.

Dr Alailima said Figiel had told her that she wanted to take her life after what she had done and was thinking of ways to achieve that.

Dr Alailima told the court that she managed to find out that the car Figiel drove to her home was that of the person Figiel had allegedly hurt.

“I did not know if Sia was telling the truth or believed that she was telling the truth,” Dr Alailima said. She told the court she was aware of Figiel’s mental history and had also determined through questioning Figiel that she had been off her medications.

Dr Alailima described that she sought legal counsel from her cousin and then called the Criminal Investigations Department in Apia, who advised her to bring Figiel over. Dr Alailima said at that point she did not know the identity of the victim.

She said she also told the police that the victim could still be inside the house, and the keys were with Figiel. Despite telling the police that they had the authority to break down the door, they waited for them to arrive in Apia.

Dr Alailima said after dropping Figiel at the police station, she drove to Vaivase-uta to hand the keys to the police. She said it was then confirmed that someone had died. She said she later found out from the police who the victim was to help get in touch with the relatives.

As Dr Alailima continued to describe her interaction with Figiel on how she disclosed the alleged killing of Dr Gabbard, Figiel, stood and opened the doors on the side of Supreme Court 4 and walked into Supreme Court 1. Initially, police officers watched as Figiel made her way out and then followed her into the adjoining courtroom.

Figiel held police officers and wailed loudly, forcing Justice Fepulea'i Ameperosa Roma to take a recess. The court resumed after Figiel had returned with police officers, calmer than she was. This was followed by more police officers entering the courtroom to provide additional security.

Since the trial began in August this year, evidence presented has included details of the alleged murder, police findings on Sinavaiana-Gabbard’s body, possible murder weapons, and information on Figiel’s movements: specifically, her visit to Lotofaga, where she reportedly spent the night on a beach before allegedly confessing to the murder the next morning.

As reported by Samoa media, Dr James Kalougivaki, a forensic pathologist, testified via video link that the cause of death was severe traumatic head injury caused by blunt force trauma, consistent with the use of a hammer.

He told the court that Sinavaiana-Gabbard had sustained severe injuries to her head, also detailing multiple skull fractures as well as injuries to both arms, noting several of the fractures appeared to be defensive wounds, suggesting she had tried to protect herself.

The judge-only trial has also highlighted questions about Figiel’s mental health.

Her lawyer, Unasa Iuni Sapolu, has repeatedly requested a psychiatric assessment, which Figiel has resisted, earlier telling the court “the devil persuaded her” to commit the alleged acts.

She has also attempted self-representation and did not agree to a request by Unasa for identity suppression.

Figiel has pleaded not guilty to five charges — murder, manslaughter, two counts of being armed with a dangerous weapon, and causing serious injuries.

Final defense witness Vanya Taulealo, a friend of Figiel, told the court that they had become close from 2023 and she had been supporting her in her plays and productions.

She described Figiel as someone with loads of energy and someone who had a larger-than-life personality.

She informed the court that Figiel had never shown any other shades of her personality and never acted in a threatening demeanour. She said she supported Figiel and had been to all pre-trial matters after Figiel was taken into custody.

Justice Fepulea'i Ameperosa Roma told counsel that the court would hear their oral closing submission on September 25, and all written submissions have to be filed a day before.

After her arrest in May 2024, bail applications were denied, and she has remained in custody since then.

Figiel and Sinavaiana-Gabbard are each literary figures of great renown, reaching global audiences and multiple generations of the Pacific diaspora.

Aged 76 when she died, Sinavaiana-Gabbard was the first Samoan to hold a full professorship in the United States and a widely respected scholar of Pacific theatre and poetry.

For many Pacific Islanders abroad, her teaching and mentorship were pivotal in helping them reconnect with their cultural identity.

The case has reverberated far beyond Samoa’s borders, especially among Pacific diaspora communities in Aotearoa New Zealand, Hawai’i, and the US.

(Sources: Samoa Observer, Pacific Media Network, SN archives)