Man convicted of first-degree murder in officer’s death
Gary Kubota/The Maui News Trending
A jury has convicted Clembert Alii Kaneholani, 39, of first-degree murder in the August 2025 shooting death of Maui Police Officer Suzanne O.
In addition to first-degree murder, Kaneholani was also convicted of first-degree reckless endangerment, being a felon in possession of a firearm and other lesser charges.
Officer O was shot and killed while responding to a call at the old Paia Sugar Mill off Baldwin Avenue the night of Aug. 15, 2025. The mill’s caretaker had encountered a man who was trespassing on the property and fired multiple shots at the caretaker.
Officer O and other police officers were searching for the suspect in a dark field when Officer O was shot in the left side of her chest. Despite lifesaving measures by other officers, she died at the scene.
Police returned fire and wounded Kaneholani. A pistol and rifle were recovered from the area where he had been crouched near a concrete pillar.
Officer O grew up in a village in American Samoa and attended Farrington High School on Oahu. She had been with the Maui Police Department for five years and received a certificate of merit for working to protect people and property during the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire. She was also a member of the Maui Police Honor Guard.
The jury began its deliberations Tuesday afternoon. Jurors are scheduled to return to Maui Circuit Court on Friday to hear attorneys’ arguments regarding whether Kaneholani should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.