A Maui jury convicts Clembert Kaneholani of first-degree murder in the shooting of Officer Suzanne O.

Thursday's verdict is the finding on the counts. It is not the paperwork that sets the prison term. Hawaii News Now reports first-degree murder carries a maximum of life in prison without parole, and Maui Now and KITV describe that term as what the conviction carries. The Maui News reports the same jury is due back Friday, Oct. 9, to hear arguments on whether that sentence is imposed.

Hawaii News Now reports that a jury convicts Clembert Kaneholani, 39, also known as Aliʻi, of first-degree murder on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in the death of Maui Police Officer Suzanne O in Pāʻia in August 2025. The station reports he is also convicted of reckless endangering and four firearms charges, and that deliberations begin at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday and take two days. Maui Now reports a 2nd Circuit Court jury returns the first-degree murder conviction Thursday after a two-week trial. The Maui News styles his name Clembert Alii Kaneholani and reports convictions for first-degree murder, first-degree reckless endangerment, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and other lesser charges. KITV reports the guilty verdict comes Thursday afternoon. Those are the counts the outlets say the jury finds. They are the verdict.

Maui Now reports officers respond at 8:26 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2025, to an in-progress terroristic-threatening call at the Pāʻia Sugar Mill off Baldwin Avenue, after a caller says an unknown person trespasses and fires a weapon. The Maui News reports the mill's caretaker encounters a trespasser who fires multiple shots at the caretaker, and that Officer O is shot in the left side of her chest while officers search a dark field. KITV reports she is wearing a bulletproof vest and that the bullet hits an exposed area under her arm. The Maui News reports other officers try to save her and she dies at the scene. Maui Now reports officers return fire and strike the suspect in the lower body. The Maui News reports a pistol and a rifle are recovered where he is crouched near a concrete pillar. KITV reports officers find him hiding behind a concrete block. Those are the accounts of the night. Thursday's verdict is what the jury does with them.

Hawaii News Now reports prosecutor Andrew Martin tells jurors that Kaneholani's own words are among the strongest evidence, and points to recorded jail calls in which Kaneholani says "I got me one doe" and "If you're in blue, I ain't a friend to you." The station reports defense attorney Zachary Raidmae tells the jury the shooting is an accident and blames officers for not following protocol. After the verdict, Raidmae says, "Out of respect for the jury and the ongoing proceedings, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the case at this time. Alii is digesting the verdict and I'll reserve any comment until the proceedings have concluded." Acting Chief of Police Wade Maeda says, in a statement Maui Now reports is released shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, "While no amount of time in a prison cell can replace the loss of Officer O or heal the pain her family and loved ones carry every day, today's sentence ensures this dangerous individual will never again threaten our community." He also ties the result to momentum for a Suzanne O bill in the next legislative session. Hawaii News Now reports state officials say this is the first Maui County trial of a defendant charged under the first-degree murder statute for killings of police officers, judges, and prosecutors.

The prison term is the point the outlets do not describe the same way. Hawaii News Now reports murder in the first degree carries a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Maui Now reports the conviction carries life without parole. KITV reports life in prison without parole will be served on the first-degree murder conviction. The Maui News reports jurors are scheduled to return to Maui Circuit Court on Friday to hear arguments on whether Kaneholani should be sentenced to life without parole. A Friday argument on the term is not the same thing as a term already entered. The Maui News reports Officer O grows up in a village in American Samoa, attends Farrington High School on Oahu, serves five years with the department, receives a certificate of merit for work during the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire, and is a member of the Maui Police Honor Guard. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and on Thursday the jury finds the state has met that burden on the counts of conviction.