KAILUA-KONA — A Kona grand jury has indicted a Kailua-Kona woman for the murder of her husband in 2015.
Renee Kaaihue, 55, was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and arson. Charges stem from a domestic dispute that occurred with her husband, 55-year-old Ghenghis Khan Kaaihue, on Feb. 15, 2015.
According to Hawaii Police Department reports, Renee Kaaihue confronted her husband who was with another woman in a van parked on the roadside at Kahaluu Beach Park. When the then 53-year-old began pouring gasoline on the vehicle, police state, Ghenghis Khan Kaaihue got out of the van and a physical struggle ensued between the two.
The fight resulted in gasoline being poured onto their clothing and bodies.
“According to witnesses, during the struggle the woman used a lighter to set both herself and the man on fire,” said a police press release issued shortly after the incident. “Witnesses at the scene used a blanket and towels to extinguish the flames.”
Ghenghis Khan and Renee Kaaihue were flown to Oahu and treated at Straub Medical Center for third-degree burns.
Ghenghis Khan Kaaihue died on Feb. 18, 2015. Renee Kaaihue continues to receive treatment for the injuries suffered that day.
On Friday, the couple’s daughter, Tasha Kaaihue-Kalua, spoke with West Hawaii Today about how the case has affected her family.
“We are from here. She has nieces, nephews and grandchildren,” Kaaihue-Kalua said of Renee Kaaihue. “There are two sides to every story.”
Kaaihue-Kalua said she wants people to take into consideration how her family feels and what they are going through.
“People need to let the court deal with this,” she said. “They will decide her guilt or innocence.”
While it doesn’t excuse her actions, Kaaihue-Kalua said, her mother is human, “just like everybody else.”
The indictment was filed in 3rd Circuit Court on Monday. On Wednesday, a bench warrant for Renee Kaaihue was issued in the amount of $10,000.