Circuit Judge Rowena Somerville denied a motion Tuesday for the supervised release of Sina Pili, charged with manslaughter in the Dec. 22, 2023, child abuse death of her 11-year-old
adopted daughter.
Pili’s recently retained
private attorney, Myles Breiner, argued that her husband, Davis Pili, would make for a good sponsor since he is a bailiff at District Court, was the person who called 911 when the child, Azaeliyah Pili-Ah You, was unresponsive at their Laie home, and is still allowed visits with the children.
Davis Pili, who was not
allowed to remain in the courtroom during the hearing since he will serve as a witness at trial, remains under police investigation.
Somerville said Sina Pili is charged with manslaughter, a Class A felony, among the most serious of crimes, along with endangering the welfare of a minor and persistent nonsupport, so Somerville had serious
concerns.
She said there appeared to be obstruction when police Detective Guy Monma interviewed the surviving children, “a lack of wanting to come forward with the children. I don’t think they were very forthright. I do have concerns. … Mr. Pili has supervised visits with the children.”
The children, ages 12, 9, 8 and 7, all with special needs, have been placed in protective custody by Child
Welfare Services.
The judge said that although Child Welfare Services had reunification in mind, that was before the
final autopsy report in June.
She said release would pose a danger to the surviving siblings.
Somerville also denied bail for the 39-year-old
Kahuku High and Intermediate School behavioral health specialist, who appeared in all black street clothes.
Pili often looked to her parents in the gallery and cried during the hearing.
After the court’s ruling, Breiner continued, saying Pili would not attempt
tampering and that she could have electronic
monitoring.
The defense’s sole witness was Sheri Ritter, the guardian ad litem who was appointed by the court in January 2024, shortly after Pili-Ah You’s death, to advocate for three of the four surviving adopted children of the Pilis. (It is unclear whether she meant all four since she answered affirmatively when Breiner asked about three children.)
Breiner asked Ritter whether she would support reunification of the children with their adoptive mother.
“If she is not incarcerated, then yes. We would start off with supervised release. That’s the norm,” Ritter said.
Ritter said she wrote a letter at the request of Davis Pili in support of reunification based on the last 15 months of work the service providers performed and her own assessment and evaluation of the couple and maintaining contact with them.
She was not subpoenaed to testify, but had reservations about testifying in court because of media presence.
The couple was supposed to be reunited with the children the week Sina Pili was arrested, Breiner said.
Ritter said she saw a few of the autopsy photographs but had only the initial autopsy report, which said the girl died from three respiratory illnesses.
When asked whether she would support reunification after seeing the photos, she said, “Yes, I do.”
“When you see the photos, it’s emotional,” she said. “I put that aside and let my rational brain take over.”
A multidisciplinary team, including Ritter and CWS
social worker Julie Stielow, supported reunification after the initial autopsy
report.
Ritter found Pili’s March 7 arrest shocking. “I think it’s a mistake,” she said.
HPD Detective Brandon Candelario testified police relied on the June 5 final
autopsy report by forensic pathologist Dr. Jon Gates, which found Pili-Ah You died of multiple injuries due to or as a consequence of child abuse.
He said the case was initially reported as an unattended death and went to one detective, then was reassigned to Monma when CWS got involved. Candelario said he took over after Monma’s April 25 closing
report.
Dr. Kayal Natarajan, a specialist in general and child abuse pediatrics, testified surviving children who have witnessed a sibling being killed by a parent “often have fear, anxiety and many times have expressed guilt because they were unable to help a sibling who passed. A lot get diagnosed with PTSD.”
She said it is recommended surviving children be taken for physical and mental health examinations to get the care they need, and should be removed from the home to minimize the chance of coercion.
When a child is killed in a home, the survivors live in “an environment of secrecy and are encouraged not to talk about anything bad,” she said.
“In my experience, the surviving siblings are impacted in a way that decreases their ability to testify to the full truth,” Natarajan said. “They feel intimidated. They feel fear and also they feel guilt that their words are going to punish the parents.”
