Defense attorney’s death delays Isabella ‘Ariel’ Kalua murder trial – Hawaii News Now

Defense attorney’s death delays Isabella ‘Ariel’ Kalua murder trial  Hawaii News Now

The murder trial for adoptive parents Lehua and Isaac Kalua has been delayed after the death of defense attorney Emlyn Higa. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The murder trial for the adoptive parents of 6-year-old Isabella “Ariel” Kalua faces another delay after a sudden death on the defense team. Emlyn Higa, a former deputy prosecutor turned defense attorney, died recently from an illness. He represented Lehua Kalua, the adoptive mother of the child who disappeared in August 2021. Police say she was tortured by Lehua and Isaac Kalua. Victor Bakke, a defense attorney and former deputy city prosecutor, said the death will delay proceedings for both defendants. “A new attorney will have to be brought in and will have to get up to speed,” Bakke said.

“They do have to do their due diligence and make sure that they’re satisfied that the defendant is being defended properly.” Megan Kau, also a former deputy city prosecutor turned defense attorney, said taking over another’s case files is difficult. “We all maintain our files very differently. We all store them very differently. We all analyze and process them very differently,” Kau said. “So it’s very difficult to pick up where a defense attorney left off and just move from there.” The Kaluas were arrested in November 2021 and charged with murder. They reported the girl