Samoan author Papalii Sia Figiel arrested for murdering Tulsi Gabbard's aunt Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard

VAIVASE-UTA, SAMOA: Papalii Sia Figiel, the woman accused of murdering former Rep Tulsi Gabbard's aunt, is a famous Samoan author and playwright who had a close association with the victim, according to the New York Post.

The 57-year-old is currently under police custody for allegedly killing Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, a retired college professor and poet.

Local news reports said Sinavaiana-Gabbard, 78, was found dead at the Figiel's Vaivase-Uta home on May 25.

Besides being close, Sinavaiana-Gabbard was reported to be Figiel's mentor.

Papalii Sia Figiel allegedly killed Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard with a knife and hammer

Police said Figiel stabbed Sinavaiana-Gabbard with a knife multiple times and beat her with a hammer while they were arguing at the former's GaluMoana Theater, a local community theatre in Vaivase-Uta.

The accused fled the scene to a friend's house, where the police took her under custody, as per Spectrum News. Law enforcement upgraded her charges to murder from the initial manslaughter one.

However, the exact reason behind the murder remains unclear.

"We do not know what the motive is of the offending, but from reports, the incident occurred on Saturday, and the suspect left the deceased at her home while she went out to Lotofaga and spent time with a friend," Samoan Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo said.

Who is Papalii Sia Figiel?

Figiel did her schooling in her native Samoa and New Zealand. She started her Bachelor of Arts degree in New Zealand and completed it from Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

According to the Poetry Foundation website, she won the Polynesian Literary Competition for poetry in 1994. In 1997, Figiel's debut novel 'Where We Once Belonged' won the prestigious South East Asia/South Pacific Region of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.

Her prose poetries are 'Girl in the Moon Circle' (1996) and 'Contemplation' (1998). Figiel's literary works were translated into several languages.

In addition, the accused had held various residencies across Europe and the South Pacific like the Institucio de les Lletres Catalanes in Barcelona, Spain, the University of Technology in Sydney, the East-West Center in Hawaii, Logoipulotu College in Savaii and the Pacific Writing Forum at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

Figiel is expected to appear at the court later this month.

Who was Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard?

Sinavaiana-Gabbard was the sister of Hawaii State Senator Mike Gabbard and aunt of former Democrat Tulsi.

For around 20 years, she taught creative writing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and later became an associate professor of Pacific literature until her retirement in 2016. She was the first one from the Samoan ancestry to achieve a full professor ranking in the US.

Sinavaiana-Gabbard was diagnosed with type two diabetes in 2003. Though she hid the condition from the public initially, she later turned into a vocal advocate for those suffering from the chronic condition. 'Alchemies of Distance,' published in 2002, is her famous poetry collection.

"[She was] someone who did not deserve to die like that. She was a very private person despite being a giant in the literary world," said a friend of late professor to The Samoa Observer.

In August 2020, USA Today included Sinavaiana-Gabbard in the list of influential women from US territories.