Thursday 11 September 2025, Mulinuu Courthouse, Apia. A matai from Lotofaga who had delivered Papalii Sia Figiel to Police last May after the alleged murder of Dr Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, testified in Court on Thursday morning.
Amituana’i Fuimaono Dr Cecilia Alailima is a retired medical doctor and matai from the districts of Lotofaga and Falealili.
Amituana’i Cecilia had been named as the prosecution’s final witness, however, she was overseas when the judge-only trial started before Supreme Court Justice Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma last month. The judge agreed to adjourn the case to await Dr Amituanai’s return.
In Court on Thursday morning as reported by Radio Polynesia’s Leilua Ame Sene Tanielu – Amituana’i took the stand and testified that Papalii Sia had stayed the night with her in Lotofaga on Saturday 25th May 2024, and then confessed to her the next morning.
“She said she had done something terrible, something very bad.”
Dr Amituana’i said the accused who is her friend and distant relative, arrived unannounced at her Lotofaga home in the late afternoon of Saturday 25th May 2024.
Earlier the Court had heard from a matai and taulealea from the village of Vavau that Papalii Sia had had spent Friday night at their Vavau beach fales.
On Sunday morning as Amituana’i and her husband were preparing for church, Papalii Sia had asked to speak to her.
Amituana’i Dr Cecilia Alailima testified that Papalii Sia told her she had done something terrible to her friend at her home in Vaivase-uta, but she did not want to say her friend’s name.
Amituana’i asked. Was it the person who owns the car you had come in? Papalii said, Yes.
Amituana’i asked if the person was still alive? Papalii did not speak but shook her head to say, No.
The retired doctor told the Court she was concerned for Papalii’s mental state and she used her medical training to calm her and encourage her to go to the police.
Amituana’i made the call to the Police in Poutasi on speaker phone so Papalii could hear the conversation and feel safe about turning herself in.
She and her husband drove the accused to the Criminal Investigation Division of police headquarters that Sunday. While they were there, Amituana’i received a call from Officers who had arrived at Sia’s home and art gallery at Vaivase-uta.
Amituanai’s testimony aligned with the three police officers who had earlier testified to finding Dr Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard’s decomposing body inside the bathroom of Papalii’s home.
The alleged murder is suspected to have taken place two days earlier, on Friday 24th May 2024.
According to Amituana’i, the accused told her that Sinavaiana-Gabbard had come over to Vaivase-uta for lunch on Friday. They argued and she remembers an overwhelming anger rise up inside her before she “blanked out.”
Dr Amituana’i testified that she was aware of Papalii’s health issues including struggles with mental health.
Defense Counsel Unasa Iuni Sapolu then called their first witness – specialist psychiatrist Dr Joyce Vida Sonoling from Papua New Guinea who is currently heading Samoa’s Mental Health Unit while Seiuliali’i Dr George Tuitama is away on study leave.
Dr Sonoling testified that Papalii Sia Figiel had symptoms of Bipolar disorder. Bipolar is a mental disorder characterised by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood swing.
The trial continues in the Supreme Court of Samoa today.
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