A 21-year-old soldier has been found dead in a burning car in Honolulu – and her boyfriend has been charged with murder for stabbing her in the neck and setting the vehicle on fire.
SPC. Laau Jordan Laulusa, a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard, was discovered around 6:40 a.m. Monday inside the burnt-out car, which was parked outside Mililani High School, KITV reported.
Witnesses told police they saw a man holding a ‘bladed weapon’ open and close the doors of the car moments before it burst into flames and then flee from the scene.
Passers-by followed him until the police arrived and took him into custody.
The suspect, identified as Samuel Jones, has been charged with second degree murder and first degree arson. His bail was set at $1 million.
“Our Aloha and prayers go out to his ‘ohana (family) and to those who knew this soldier personally and professionally,” Brig said. Gen. Stephen Logan, commander of the Hawaii National Guard, said in a statement.
“This is a tragic loss for the entire Hawaiian Army National Guard. We are cooperating with authorities during the ongoing investigation,” he added.
Laulusa, who joined the Guard in 2019, was a supply specialist for the 227th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to the Army.
Her uncle, Sasoa Feagai, told KHON, “It’s a shame because she’s still young, a beautiful girl, really nice, and she didn’t deserve this.”
Laulusa, known as Jordan, was described by her family as a beautiful person who looked forward to traveling the world with the military.
“Where is the love? What happened? It’s so hard to think of something like this happening to someone,” Feagai told KITV. “But it happens. Without the aloha and the love we should give to people.
He said he appreciated the witnesses prosecuting the suspect.
“Grateful for the people who have done this otherwise know how long this is going to take to resolve,” Feagai told the outlet. “We’re just dealing with the tragedy and trying to make sense of what happened.”