On September 18, a jury of three women and three men convicted Eti Muagututi’a of all eight felonies he was charged with.
These include two counts of Abuse of a Child, two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, two counts of Felonious Restraint, one count of Child Molesting and one count of Sodomy, all involving domestic violence.
The victim, a relative of the defendant was 11 years old at the time of these crimes.
According to the government’s case, the defendant had sexually assaulted the minor victim on two different occasions during October 2022 and September 2023.
Muagututi’a is looking at a maximum of 79 years in jail when he is sentenced November 12, 2024.
Attorney General Fainu’ulelei Ala’ilima-Utu welcomed the jury’s decision and he thanked the jury for their verdict, the courageous minor victim for testifying against the defendant, as well as the Department of Public Safety investigators, DHSS Child Protective Services caseworkers, the LBJ Tropical Medical Center physicians, Chief Prosecutor Marcellus Tala Uiagalelei and the victim advocates of the Criminal Division of the Attorney General’s Office.
The AG said, “This was a collaborative effort among American Samoa Government departments in seeking justice for the minor victim and to put this convicted predator in prison for many years. The Government and our Office will continue to prosecute these predators that hurt and victimize the children in our community.”
