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Jail officials find Capobianco with contraband

Convicted murderer Steven Capobianco appears in 2nd Circuit Court last week. Capobianco, 27, was found to have contraband in his possession at Maui Community Correctional Center on Sunday night, according to the state Department of Public Safety. The incident is being investigated by the Maui Police Department. In December, a jury found Capobianco guilty in the 2014 death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and the arson of her vehicle. His request for a new trial has been delayed until March 6. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

The Maui News

Convicted murderer Steven Capobianco was caught with contraband in his possession at the Maui Community Correctional Center on Sunday evening, the state Department of Public Safety said.

Correctional officers recovered the item, which was wrapped in black tape, during visitation hours at the facility around 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Capobianco was arrested and could face contraband possession-related charges. The incident is under investigation by the Maui Police Department.

“I commend our staff for their fast work in responding to a suspicious incident, and discovering the contraband quickly and efficiently,” Public Safety Director Nolan Espinda said. “Staff did everything they were trained to do.”

On Dec. 28, a jury unanimously found Capobianco, 27, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Carly “Charli” Scott, and guilty in the arson of her vehicle.

The jury also decided that the murder was “especially heinous,” meaning that 2nd Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza could decide to sentence Capobianco to life in prison without parole, instead of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

A hearing on Capobianco’s request for a new trial has been delayed until March 6.

Scott, 27, was last seen Feb. 9, 2014. Capobianco told police that she drove him from Haiku to about 3 miles past Keanae that night after his truck had stalled there the night before. After fixing a loose battery cable on his truck, Capobianco said he was driving back to Haiku, with Scott following, when he lost sight of her headlights in the Twin Falls area.

At the time, Scott was in the fifth month of her pregnancy with a son fathered by Capobianco. Scott’s dog Nala, who had been with her that night, was found at Nahiku Marketplace the morning of Feb. 10, 2014. Her 1997 Toyota 4Runner was found burned near the “Jaws” surf spot in Peahi.

Capobianco is also pending trial for two separate cases, one for possession of a deadly weapon and another for burglary and theft.

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