Samoan novelist arrested for murder of Tulsi Gabbard's aunt

Figiel fled to a friend's house after the incident and was later arrested on suspicion of manslaughter before her charges were upgraded to murder.

“It was only on Sunday morning, while they were having breakfast, that Papalii told her friend what had happened,” said Auapaau Police Commissioner Logoitino Filipo. Figiel then surrendered.

Sinavaiana-Gabbard's body was later found at Figiel's home, Samoa Global News reported. The New Zealand Herald said Figiel's house also serves as the GaluMoana theater.

The exact motive for the murder remains unclear, but both women were very accomplished in their writing and academics.

Figiel's poetry won the Polynesian Literary Competition in 1994 and his bestselling novel Where we once belonged won a regional writing award for best first book by an author in 1997. His works have been translated into at least eight languages.

Sinavaiana-Gabbard was a retired English professor from the University of Hawaii and was considered the first Samoan to become a full professor in the United States. She had received awards for her teaching and her writings were widely published.

“Caroline was my best friend when I was a teenager,” Hawaii State Senator Mike Gabbard, brother of Sinavaiana-Gabbard and father of Tulsi Gabbard, told Spectrum News. “She helped me considerably during my rebellious teenage period.”