Five charged after man found severely beaten in Vaitogi area
Medics say the victim appeared deceased upon their arrival By Samoa News staff reporters@samoanews.com Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On Saturday, May 23, 2026, local police officers were notified at approximately 6:40 a.m. regarding an incident in the village of Vaitogi involving an unidentified man who had been discovered with severe injuries in a remote area off an access road. Upon receiving this information, investigators immediately responded and initiated an investigation into what is alleged to be a violent assault. Eight suspects were taken into custody, with five of them later charged as follows: Waldie Allen III, aka “Aleki” and Wayne Leti were charged with: Count 1: Tampering with Physical Evidence, Class D Felony punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed five years or payment of a fine not exceeding $5,000, or both imprisonment and fine. Cowley Tui Tafea was charged with: Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both. El-Shaniah Segi was charged with: Count 1 & 2: Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both; and, Count 3 & 4: Tampering with Physical Evidence, Class D Felony punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed five years or payment of a fine not exceeding $5,000, or both. Faleulu Faleulu was charged with: Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both; Count 2: Tampering with Physical Evidence, Class D Felony punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed five years or payment of a fine not exceeding $5,000, or both; and, Count 3, 4, 5, & 6: Stealing, a Class C Felony, punishable by imprisonment of a term not to exceed seven years or payment of a fine not exceeding $5,000, or both. All the defendants are held without bail. According to the court affidavits, the victim was discovered approximately nine feet from the access road and about 131 feet east of a nearby residence in Vaitogi, that the affidavit refers to as the “secondary location” — the location where the victim was found. It is described as isolated and partially concealed by overgrowth and vegetation. Upon arrival at this location, investigators observed the victim lying motionless on the ground with extensive visible injuries to the facial and head area. The victim was heavily covered in blood and appeared to be unconscious. A substantial pool of blood was visible around the victim’s head. Witnesses on the scene reported that the victim was barely breathing at the time he was discovered. The initial reporting party stated that at approximately 5:30 a.m., he was walking home when he heard unusual breathing noises coming from nearby bushes. Due to darkness and poor visibility, he initially could not determine whether the sounds were coming from a person or an animal. After investigating further with a flashlight, he located a man lying in the bushes and immediately became alarmed after observing blood around the man’s face and head. The reporting party then called out to a nearby resident for assistance, and emergency services were contacted through the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS). Police personnel arrived shortly thereafter, followed by EMS personnel, who conducted an emergency assessment and attempted to stabilize the victim before transporting him to LBJ Tropical Medical Center. According to medical personnel, the victim appeared deceased upon arrival (DOA); however, emergency procedures continued until the victim was formally pronounced dead at approximately 6:54 a.m. After the victim’s death was confirmed, investigators conducted a preliminary examination of the body and photographed the victim’s injuries. The deceased was later positively identified as David Esera Golk, commonly known in the village by the nickname “Joker”. During the initial stages of the investigation, witnesses told investigators about suspicious activity involving a black pickup truck observed in the area earlier that morning. Investigators subsequently recovered surveillance footage from a nearby laundromat located near the entrance of the dirt access road leading to the secondary location. Surveillance footage captured a black truck traveling in the area at approximately 4:00 a.m. with three individuals noted as riding in the back of the truck, sitting on the tailgate. Investigators shortly received information that a source had identified one of the occupants of the truck, possibly involved in the incident. The identified man was interviewed and he said he knew about the incident and was present when other people removed the victim from the primary scene where the assault had happened to the secondary location, where the victim was found. The individual (witness #1) told police he was present at the “primary location” on May 23, 2026, and that the initial assault occurred in an overgrown area approximately fifteen (15) feet off the roadway near the Vilivili [sic] area in Vaitogi. Witness #1 identified 4 individuals as involved, but noted he was only present during the transportation of the victim from the primary location to the secondary one. He was not present during the initial assault. Samoa News does not name any of the suspects that were not charged of the eight men who were taken in for questioning, as well as the minor, due to the sensitive nature of the case in the community and to the family. WITNESS #1 Witness #1 told police that he was walking from his home in Vaitogo to go to the store on the evening of May 22, 2026, at approximately 8:00 p.m., when he encountered his cousin (witness #2 - a minor) at the store. He stated that he saw that his cousin was crying and his cousin told him about an assault that had occurred, and that El-Shaniah Segi and another man told him that they had beaten the victim. He said that his cousin (witness #2) told him he was not present during the assault and had arrived on the scene after 6:15 pm. Witness #2 then led him to the primary location, where he observed an unknown man “snoring and lying on the ground, and his face covered in blood.” It was at that time, he stated, that he saw Segi and another man drinking near the unconscious victim. He also observed Wayne Leti and another man in the area. Witness #1 stated he walked over with his cousin (witness #2) to the area where the men were and heard Segi saying that they needed to move to a new location, which they all did — walking to a new location about 5 minutes away from where the victim was located. The witness said that he and his cousin continued to drink and walk around the village, and eventually he went to his girlfriend’s house and his cousin left to go home. He later returned to the same group to keep drinking and brought his girlfriend’s brother. It was when he returned to the group that he allegedly heard Segi asking Waldie Allen II, aka “Aleki” to borrow his truck so they could move the victim away from their post (as the village police), according to the affidavit. Aleki went and got his truck, witness #1 stated, and that’s when he, his cousin (witness #2), his girlfriend’s brother, Segi, Aleki (driver), two other men, as well as Leti — for a total of eight (8) people in the truck — went to scout a place to drop the victim elsewhere. The group in the truck returned to where the victim was located, and he said that his cousin and Segi lifted the victim into the bed of the truck. WITNESS #2 (MINOR) The police at this point located witness #1’s cousin and his father, and with the father’s permission interviewed the cousin. The cousin (witness #2) reported that he finished his duties for the Sa around 6:15pm, went home and then came back to a location near the primary location. It was during that time that heard a conversation regarding an assault, which caused him to look around the area and said he heard a noise (similar to what witness #1 reported), and saw the victim. He said he told one of his cousins that was there (not witness #1) to contact the EMS for the victim, at which time his cousin slapped him. As a result, he left the scene upset and that’s when he ran into another cousin (witness #1), who “asked why he was crying, [and] he told him about what he was supposed to do with the victim.” Witness #2 explained that he went with witness #1 back to where the victim was located and they saw the victim lying in the overgrowth. He also noted that “they then moved to a new spot to drink, and that he went home, then went back to meet up with his cousin later around midnight. He said that is when Aleki and another individual went and got Aleki’s truck and picked up witness #1 and #2, and another man in front of the Sina Store in Vaitogi. At this point, they drove to where the victim was lying, and he (witness #2) and Segi picked him up and put him in the back of the truck. He, the other man, and Leti sat in the back with the victim, while Aleki was driving, Tafea was in the passenger seat, while in the back passenger seats were witness #1, another man and Segi. He said they drove down to the Vaitogi area and came back around and went straight to the Filifili, but changed plans after seeing people nearby, and under directions from Segi, they instead drove to the dirt road near the laundromat and nearby carwash. Upon arriving at the dirt road, Segi instructed him to help with the body. According to witness #2, the victim was still breathing when they left the secondary location. WALDIE ALLEN II, AKA “ALEKI” Investigators interviewed Allen II also known as “Aleki,” on May 24, 2026. He said that he and another man went to the Sina Store where they ran into another man who appeared concerned about something and whispered to them. That’s when the man that had met up with them led them to the bushes near the store and showed them the victim, “who was breathing like he was sleeping.” At this time, Segi came to him and begged him to drop the victim of at the Filifili, but when they went there, and it wasn't safe, Segi then asked to go to this road next to VJ’ s store. According to Aleki, he was in the truck the whole time, and observed witness #2 and another man take the victim out of the truck and abandon him at the secondary location. He told police after they left, everyone got out of the truck to go home, and he went straight home. It was “the next morning he said he learned from his father that the victim was dead.” EL-SHANIAH SEGI Investigators also interviewed Segi on May 24th, and he admitted that he, Leti and three other men went to purchase beer in the evening of May 22, 2026, and they encountered a guy who is commonly known a “Joker” — later identified as the victim, David Esera Golk Segi. Segi said after a disagreement with the victim, he punched the victim, restrained him, and body slammed him on the ground, while one of his friends hit him in the head with a baseball bat, and another kicked him. Segi admitted that the victim immediately appeared to have difficulty breathing and he became unconscious after he slammed him to the ground. He acknowledged that the group decided to move the victim to another location using Aleki's truck. FALEULU FALEULU Investigators interviewed Faleulu Faleulu on May 25, 2026, who said he went with his cousins to the store, bought beer and were drinking under a tree near the primary location when he witnessed Segi assault the victim including body slamming the victim, and personally kicking the victim while the victim was already on the ground. Faleulu claimed he was waiting for his cousins who were still in the store, and “when came out they all walked home.” However, when police spoke with the two cousins, Faleulu allegedly waited for to come out of the store, they told a different story. One of the cousins said he saw Faleulu kick the victim and help Segi drag the victim from the road to the overgrowth area. He then saw Faleulu remove the victim’s jewelry, Nike sandals from his feet, and a JBL speaker. Segi has also stated during his interview that Faleulu had taken these items from the victim. Police, according to the court affidavit, point out that when they encountered Faleulu “he was in fact, wearing items consistent with the victim's rings, necklace and bracelet.” This was further confirmed by Segi and the cousin, who were in the police station at the same time as Faleulu. Investigators also recovered a silver ring from the primary location. Examination of the victim’s fingers revealed markings and impressions consistent with the missing/ removed rings. COWLEY TAFEA The other cousin that Faleulu claimed he waited for was Cowley Tui Tafea. He told police that he saw the victim at the store and that the victim said goodbye to them. Tafea continued that when the victim got to the front of the store, he saw Segi punch him and body slam him to the ground. He also saw a man hit the victim with a bat, and Faleulu kick the victim and later take all the victim’s things. Tafea also admitted to kicking the victim in the face once, and when they saw the victim not moving, he and his cousin (not Faleulu) went home and never came back. WAYNE LETI Police interviewed Wayne Leti on May 25th, and said after the village sa he was under the tree with Segi, Faleulu and two other men. One of the men went and got some alcohol and about an hour later, they saw “Joker” pass by. He claims Segi walked over to the victim asked for a cigarette. Leti said that’s all he heard because he was busy with his phone, and when he looked up from his phone he saw Segi punch the victim in the face and body slam him, and swing a baseball bat at the victim. His account also differs in that he says that later he saw Aleki's vehicle and that Aleki picked them up from where they were drinking near the primary location, and they went for a ride. It was later that they came back to the primary location, and they put the victim in the truck, and eventually took him to the secondary location after turning around from up at the Filifili. Segi got out the truck, Leti said, and asked two other individuals to help him with the victim. Leti said he grabbed the victim’s hand while he was being removed from the truck. OTHER STATEMENTS Additional witness statements consistently corroborate the sequence of events involving the assault, transportation, concealment, and abandonment of the victim. The investigation alleges that Segi initiated the violent assault against Golk by punching and body slamming him onto a hard surface. Further it alleges Faleulu robbed the victim of his jewelry, slippers and speaker after the assault, and that other individuals participated in assaulting the victim, transporting the victim, or assisting in concealing the victim after the assault. The investigation also revealed that allegedly after recognizing the victim was severely injured, unconscious, and struggling to breathe, multiple involved individuals knowingly transported the victim to a remote location and abandoned him there without seeking medical assistance. Witnesses consistently stated that the victim was alive and breathing at the time he was abandoned. The investigation continues. The five affidavits were filed in the District Court on May 26, 2026. As with all criminal cases, the allegations outlined in court filings remain accusations at this stage, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. [Editor’s Note: An affidavit is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation for use as evidence in court. It is not a court decision.] Section: Local News Tags: court report
2026-05-29 17:01:27
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