29-year-old man convicted of shooting death at Ala Moana game room

An Oahu Circuit Court jury on Friday found a 29-year-old man guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and three firearms offenses in a 2020 robbery at an Ala Moana game room.

The jury found Aaron Tuitelapaga guilty of murder in the shooting death of Sausau Togiai III on August 12, 2020.

Assistant District Attorney Scott Bell, who tried the case, said: “Togiai was working as a security guard at the game room that night. He was fatally shot while trying to stop the robbery.”

Tuitelapaga faces life in prison with the possibility of parole when he is sentenced on October 16.

He is also scheduled to stand trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the July 2023 beating death of Christopher Vaefaga, 36, at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

“This is already the second guilty verdict this year for murder in an illegal gambling hall,” Honolulu District Attorney Steve Alm said. “And less than two months ago, a man was indicted for another murder in a gambling hall.”

“These establishments are not only illegal. They are extremely dangerous for the people who work there, for those who waste their money there and for those who try to rob the gambling halls.

“We will continue to work with the Honolulu Police Department and other partners to shut down these illicit businesses and prosecute those who commit crimes there.”