Murder trial for campus shooters [1]
Thursday, August 24, 2017 - 18:49
A Californian court has scheduled a murder trial for two young men of Tongan descent, Tevita Kaihea (21) and Charlie Hola (21), both of Sacramento. The pair have been held in custody since 2015 when they were allegedly involved in a brawl that resulted in the shooting death of a 25-year-old college student Roman Gonzalez in the parking lot of a local college campus. The trial date is set for November 27.
According to prosecutors, the accused dual got into a daylight brawl with two men, Roman Gonzalez and his cousin Rico Ridgeway, after crossing paths in the parking lot of Sacramento City College where Gonzalez was enrolled.
Prosecutors said that “hard looks” and rival “gang greetings” triggered a confrontation that quickly escalated into a brawl. They allege that Kaihea greeted Gonzalez and Ridgeway with a gang signal which prompted Gonzalez to respond in greeting with a rival gang signal.
Prosecutors alleged that during the brawl, Charlie Hola fled after he was stabbed four times by Ridgeway. Kaihea shot Gonzalez with a gun wrapped in a shirt. Ridgeway will face trial for his alleged stabbing later this year.
The murder trial is only the beginning of more to come for Charlie Hola and Tevita Kaihea. The pair are also accused of committing three separate violent offenses including another shooting, and the armed robbery of a takeaway only hours before their alleged murder of Gonzalez.