CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Tiseya E. Puapuaga appeared in court via closed-circuit video Tuesday from the Oahu Community Correctional Center after he was extradited back to Honolulu in the 2017 shooting death of 34-year-old Isaac Mamea in Chinatown.
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A judge Tuesday rejected a request to reduce the bail for a murder suspect apprehended in California and extradited to Hawaii in connection with a 2017 shooting in Chinatown.
Tiseya E. Puapuaga’s bail remains $1 million.
Puapuaga, 24, appeared before Circuit Court Judge Shirley Kawamura via closed-circuit video from the Oahu Community Correctional Center. Deputy public defender Lee Hayakawa entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf to a charge of second-degree murder and two firearm- related charges. Hayakawa also requested the reduction to his bail.
His trial is set for March.
An Oahu grand jury in
October 2017 indicted Puapuaga with murder in the late-night shooting death of 34-year-old Isaac Mamea in front of the Maunakea Liquor and Grocery store on Sept. 20, 2017. Honolulu police said a suspect later identifed as Puapuaga approached
Mamea on foot and shot him multiple times with a handgun. He then reportedly fled in a white Toyota Matrix. Police later recovered the vehicle.
Police and CrimeStoppers issued a bulletin asking for the public’s help in locating Puapuaga and also reached out to authorities in California, where Puapuaga had previously resided, and where he has family.
Police in Elk Grove, Calif., apprehended Puapuaga on Jan. 16. He was a passenger in a vehicle they stopped, Honolulu Police Sgt. Chris Kim, coordinator of CrimeStoppers, said. Puapuaga was extradited to Honolulu that day and booked at HPD headquarters.