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A 24-year-old Kahului man, who was shot to death in a robbery Monday following a card game, was remembered by friends and coworkers Thursday as a talented sushi chef and loving father but was “hanging around the wrong crowd.”
Melvin Santos was one of several people playing cards at a “gambling house” on Kea Street in Kahului, according to court documents. Four masked gunman appeared at the house early Monday morning and demanded money from the gamblers.
Santos tried to fight the men off but was shot through a door and was hit in the chest and died.
He leaves behind his 9-month-old son and his longtime girlfriend.
“I didn’t think something like this would happen to him. . . . It’s like, why him?” Melanie Garde, his former boss and a family friend, said on Thursday. “A lot of people at work are not taking it well.”
Born in the Philippines, Santos moved to Maui and found work at Genki Sushi in the Maui Mall. He ran into trouble in 2011 and 2012 and faced theft and drug charges and deportation, Garde said.
He began to turn his life around by graduating from the Maui/Molokai Drug Court Program last year. He also was spared deportation when his convictions were vacated with the help of Christopher Fishkin, legal assistant for Wailuku attorney Burton Gould.
“He was doing really well,” said Fishkin, who had stayed in contact with Santos over the years.
After being released from federal detention while awaiting possible deportation, Garde hired Santos as a sushi chef at Wow-Wee Maui’s Kava Bar and Grill. He quickly excelled as a chef, which led workers and customers to love him, Garde said.
“He was a great employee,” she said. “He was very respectful, he was willing to help in all the different stations as much as he can. He was truly a good asset to the company.”
Although Santos showed creativity and promise in the kitchen, he began to return to his bad habits after his girlfriend miscarried about a year ago, Fishkin said.
“It was very devastating for Melvin and his girlfriend,” he said. “From that point on, he started not doing very well, and I think he did fall prey to spending time in the wrong company. We were actually trying to find him to pull him out of all that because we take an interest in our clients. A lot of them are falling prey to drugs and crime, and we try to get them into rehab and get them back on a good path.”
Santos became depressed and would call in sick or show up late for work, Garde said. He eventually was let go seven months ago.
He “wasn’t the same Melvin that we knew,” she said.
“I gave him so many chances because I really wanted to help that boy,” she said. “He wanted to be helped and wanted to get away, but I think he couldn’t do it emotionally. He wasn’t strong enough.
“Deep in my heart I was hoping things would change.”
Analyn Delos Reyes, who was acquainted with Santos for about a decade and worked with him at Genki Sushi and Wow-Wee Maui’s Kava Bar and Grill, said Santos struggled with his issues but was a hard worker.
She said friends and family were making shirts and raising money for his funeral.
“Everyone was surprised and couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Even my boss at Genki, she’s crying because we don’t expect that this would happen to him – this kind of death.”
Customers cried when they found out about Santos’ death and some visited his family Wednesday night, Garde said. She also went to see the family and said his mother broke down and cried with her.
“He’s such a nice kid and very innocent,” she said. “I think it’s his immaturity that got in his way. I know he was battling a lot of challenges and emotions.
“He made his own creations, and he was pretty good at it. A lot of customers were really happy, and he was very artistic. He had a lot of talent. It’s just too bad.”
On Thursday, Fishkin was in court when the man accused of killing Santos made his initial court appearance on second-degree murder charges. Bronsen Rodrigues, 30, pleaded not guilty and was being held Thursday without bail.
“This isn’t a violent person,” Fishkin said of Santos. “He’s not a gangster that has been in jail and keeps going back. This is a sweet kid that fell in with the wrong people.”
* Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com.