LIHU’E — A Circuit Court arraignment is scheduled to be held Monday for Gregory Aguiar of ‘Ele’ele, who has been charged with murdering his wife in March. Aguiar, 49, was initially charged with attempted murder for allegedly pouring lighter fluid
LIHU’E — A Circuit Court arraignment is scheduled to be held Monday for
Gregory Aguiar of ‘Ele’ele, who has been charged with murdering his wife in
March.
Aguiar, 49, was initially charged with attempted murder for
allegedly pouring lighter fluid on Miu Lan Esposo-Aguiar, 39, at their home in
‘Ele’ele on March 12 and setting her afire in the presence of their
three-year-old granddaughter.
Esposo-Aguiar suffered severe wounds and was
treated at Straub Clinic and Hospital, where she died from her injuries on
March 31.
The holding of the arraignment indicates Aguiar was found
competent to stand trial by three psychiatrists who were ordered by a state
judge to conduct mental fitness tests for Aguiar.
Aguiar’s attorney, Peter
Kea, asked that the tests be done to determine whether Aguiar knew what was
right and what was wrong when he allegedly committed the crime.
The tests
also were to determine whether Aguiar is capable of understanding criminal
proceedings that have been brought against him.
At his arraignment, Aguiar
also will be formally charged with reckless endangering in connection with the
crime since the couple’s three-year-old granddaughter was present in the house
when the crime occurred.
A preliminary hearing was initially scheduled to
be held for Aguiar on attempted murder when his wife was still alive and was
undergoing treatment for her burns.
It was postponed to allow for the
mental evaluations by the panel of psychiatrists.
The results of the tests
were not available.
Since his arrest for the crime, Aguiar has been held
in lieu of $1 million dollar bail.
On March 12, neighbors said they heard
Esposo-Aguiar scream about 11 a.m., and saw her run out of her home on 4554
Pualei Street in ‘Ele’ele in a ball of fire, run across the street to another
home where she hosed herself off with water.
Aguiar surrendered to police
about two miles from his home at the Kaua’i Coffee Co. office in Numila, where
he is an employee. A co-worker convinced Aguiar to surrender.
The event was
apparently triggered by discord in Aguiar’s household.
Kaua’i police said
the victim and the suspect had argued over Esposo-Aguiar seeing another man
and that the suspect was upset about his wife spending too much time at her job
at Home Infusion in Lihu’e.
The business provides care for individuals who
are homebound and require medical care.
Since the crime, residents have
staged rallies calling for a halt against violence against women.
