SAN FRANCISCO – A Bay Area man has been extradited to Hawaii to face charges that he shot and killed a social employee on the island of O'ahu over a dispute over a big amount of methamphetamine.
Filimone Tavake, 36, is scheduled to look in federal court on Thursday to face murder charges in reference to the March 2021 death of Malakai “Mo” Maumalanga.
The crime shocked the Honolulu community of Aiea, where Maumalanga was killed, and revelations concerning the suspected motive only added fuel to the fireplace. Authorities allege Tavake killed Maumalanga over eight kilos of methamphetamine that was delivered to Maumalanga but never paid for, and that Tavake warned him before the shooting that things escalated until it got to the “don't talk” part.
Media reports in Hawaii describe Maumalanga as a former gang member who spent 20 years counseling at-risk youth and dealing for nonprofit organizations.
Tavake was arrested in Redwood City on March 22, almost three years to the day after he allegedly shot Maumalanga in a carport at Maumalanga's home. Authorities allege the eight kilos of methamphetamine were present in Maumalanga's apartment after the murder and that Tavake boarded a plane to San Francisco the day after the shooting. According to police, two firearms were used to kill Maumalanga.
In court filings, federal prosecutors have described Tavake as a drug dealer and claimed they tracked his transfers from Hawaii to San Mateo and Redwood City totaling about $59,000 over a three-year period, also noting that he ” trades mainly in cash.” They claim that Tavake was connected to the murder as there is evidence that his phone was connected to the suspects' rental car and that Tavake and Maumalanga spoke on the phone shortly before Maumalanga's murder.
In addition, federal authorities said they checked undercover methamphetamine purchases from Tavake in 2022 and spoke to a witness who told them that Tavake “has individuals who might help him transport drugs to Hawaii on planes.” Text messages between both men also suggest that tensions between them increased due to the unpaid debts.
“You get to the part where nothing is said because you say something and the deadline isn’t met,” Tavake allegedly wrote in a message about three weeks before the murder. “I’m tired of this story.”
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