Pali Golf Course Shootings: Lepo Taliese, Romelius Corpuz Jr., Tino Sao and Oahu’s Gambling War | Revisited: 038

On January 7, 2004, a meeting after a funeral turned into gunfire at Pali Golf Course on Oahu. Lepo Utu Taliese and Romelius “Junior” Corpuz Jr. were killed, Tino Sao was critically wounded, and before the case became a federal racketeering prosecution, two wounded men had already named the men they said shot them. This fully revisited episode of Beneath the Palms rebuilds the Pali Golf Course shootings from the ground up: the public daylight attack, the illegal gambling-security dispute behind it, the Young Street violence that came before it, Tino’s courtroom testimony, and the federal case that led to convictions against Ethan “Malu” Motta and Rodney Joseph Jr., with Kevin “Pancho” Gonsalves sentenced for his admitted role. But this is not just a story about organized crime in Hawaii. It is about Lepo as a father, fiance, son, brother, and taxi driver. It is about Junior as a husband, father, brother, and working man. And it is about Tino, who survived long enough to testify — and who, after being shot through the face, still asked paramedics to help his brother first. This episode contains descriptions of gun violence, homicide, severe injury, illegal gambling, organized crime, witness intimidation, and grief. Listener discretion is advised. Sources for this episode include: Golf course killings connected to gambling — The Honolulu Advertiser Shooting victims named attackers — The Honolulu Advertiser, Jan. 10, 2004 / Hawaii State Public Library System archive record Gambling turf war emerges as factor — Honolulu Star-Bulletin Survivor describes golf course attack — Honolulu Star-Bulletin Four plead guilty in 2004 Pali shooting — The Honolulu Advertiser Sentence issued in 2004 Pali Golf Course murders — The Honolulu Advertiser Hawaii jury returns guilty verdict in Pali golf course murders — The Honolulu Advertiser Final defendant in Pali Golf Course shootings sentenced — Hawaii News Now Billy Kenoi helped Pali Shooter — Hawaii Free Press #BeneathThePalms #HawaiiTrueCrime #PaliGolfCourse #OahuTrueCrime #HawaiiPodcast #TrueCrimePodcast #HawaiiHistory #OrganizedCrime #ColdCasePodcast #TrueCrimeCommunity