Miti Maugaotega Jr. | World’s Most Evil Prisoners | Forensic Files

NARRATOR: In the United States of America, some of the world's most dangerous and violent prisoners
are locked behind bars. One of the worst is Miti Maugaotega. BRAD MILLER: He can't be ever placed
with any other human being, because he has shown time and time again that he's a murderer,
a cold blooded murderer. MITI MAUGAOTEGA: I just want him dead. [tense music] I stab him a couple of times.
INVESTIGATOR: OK. MITI MAUGAOTEGA: I stab him a couple of times. He didn't want to come down.
INVESTIGATOR: Do you know where you stabbed him at? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: In the neck. INVESTIGATOR: In the neck?
MITI MAUGAOTEGA: Yeah, all over. NARRATOR: At just 17 years old, he robbed and sexually
assaulted a 55-year-old woman. - He pistol whipped her into compliance. DR. LINA HAJI: It is more about the power
and the control, and exerting his will over a vulnerable victim. NARRATOR: His level of criminal behavior quickly escalated
with attempted murder. PAUL MOW: A second shot is fired, and that second shot hits him in his upper left chest.
[ominous music] 5 feet away. So we're talking about point blank range. [ominous ticking]
PATRICK JOHNSON: If he had not been caught, he probably would have shot somebody else
or killed someone. [ominous ticking] NARRATOR: Even locked behind bars. Maugaotega is a tornado of aggression
that is difficult to contain. [ominous ticking] BRAD MILLER: Maugaotega immediately
ran out of his jail cell, found another inmate that he wanted to injure, and decided
to beat that person to a pulp, cracking his skull, ripping off his top lip, and injuring him so severely.
[ominous music] NARRATOR: He violently attacked four more inmates, then went on to brutally kill a fifth.
BRAD MILLER: He's an extremely dangerous individual. And when he has an opportunity to harm or to kill somebody,
he takes that opportunity. [suspenseful music] DR. LINA HAJI: I think Maugaotega is one
of the highest levels of evil. [theme music] [audio logo] [theme music] NARRATOR: Saguaro Correctional Center houses
around 2,000 inmates, more than half of those are from Hawaii. [suspenseful music]
WILLIAM WALLACE: The Saguaro prison facility is a maximum security facility. It houses some of the most dangerous
prisoners from Hawaii. Most inmates are there for very serious crimes, lengthy prison sentence for violent crimes.
[suspenseful music] - It's made for the highest security inmates in the United States.
It's a very dangerous facility. PATRICK JOHNSON: This work facility does have a large Uso presence.
WILLIAM WALLACE: Uso means brother in the Samoan language. It's a prison gang that is formed
for protection for Samoan and Hawaiian inmates. The Uso Prison Gang is different
than traditional prison gangs. There's no real rules other than you have to be from Hawaii.
It doesn't matter what type of crime you've committed, you can still join the Uso Prison Gang.
[suspenseful music] NARRATOR: One of the most notorious Uso Gang members is Miti Maugaotega Jr.
[suspenseful music] PATRICK JOHNSON: He is one of the most violent and dangerous inmates that I've
dealt with in my career. BRAD MILLER: He hates society. He hates people. [ominous music]
He tries to kill them when he can. [suspenseful music] NARRATOR: Miti Maugaotega Jr. was born September 29, 1985,
in American Samoa, an island just over 2,000 miles off the coast of Hawaii. [tense music]
WILLIAM WALLACE: His father was part of a local royal family on American Samoa. His grandfather was a like a chief
or a leader of the family. - His parents divorced at a-- at a pretty young age and he went to live with his grandparents.
NARRATOR: Despite his parents, apparently, being largely absent from his life. Miti was raised in a loving household.
[tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: He was his grandfather's favorite. He was someone that his grandfather
looked at as someone who could possibly be the leader of the family. [tense music]
NARRATOR: When Miti was just four years of age, a tragic accident left him scarred for life.
[ominous music] PATRICK JOHNSON: He was playing with some cousins around a fire, and one of the cousins
kicked a bottle that had some kind of gasoline, and basically, the fire exploded
and it exploded onto him. [ominous music] PAUL MOW: He suffered from third degree
burns and scars on his body that traumatized him. [somber music] DR. LINA HAJI: He was confined to a medical facility
for a period of six months. He could have experienced depression, anxiety, he could have felt different than his peers, very isolated,
and it also could have resulted in long term mental and emotional damage. [somber music]
NARRATOR: There was further devastation for Miti, when the grandfather he was so close to passed away.
PATRICK JOHNSON: His grandmother decided to move him from American Samoa to Hawaii
around seven years old. She did that because she knew that he needed special treatment for his burns.
His grandmother believed that there may be better opportunity for him in Hawaii than he had in American Samoa.
[somber music] [ambient music] PAUL MOW: Hawaiian enjoys a lower crime rate than other states.
Geographically, we're separated from the mainland US, and so the ability of people to get
in and out, in particular criminals, I guess in this case is harder. They can't cross state lines that easily.
You got to go by a plane or a ship. The other part, of course, has to do with our cultural norms.
We have strong family structures. We have respect for elders. We have people that feel a responsibility
to the community. [ambient music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega settled well, but around the age of 12
he began to change. [tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: He started hanging out with friends that probably were not the best influence
and he probably wasn't the best influence on them. He started using drugs. He started skipping school.
[ambient music] WILLIAM WALLACE: He started engaging in criminal activity at a fairly
young age, 13, 14 years old. Burglaries, thefts. DR. LINA HAJI: There's a likelihood
that he probably met criteria for what we call conduct disorder, which is essentially antisocial personality
disorder in children. Aggression, deceitfulness, manipulation, a complete disregard for societal norms.
So he's already on the path to showing this kind of affinity for criminality. NARRATOR: Miti Maugaotega was so prolific in his lawlessness
that in 1999, aged just 14, the Hawaiian authorities banished him back to his Homeland of American Samoa.
He was forbidden to return to Hawaii until he was 18. PAUL MOW: It would have to be something serious enough
that the judge would order this, sending him back to American Samoa. Sometimes judges do that because they
feel that out of their cultural environment, they're more likely to commit crimes.
[ambient music] NARRATOR: Over the next four years, not much is known about Maugaotega's life
back in American Samoa. Then, in April 2003, Maugaotega violates the order against him
and illegally re-enters Hawaii. He was just five months away from turning 18. Within days of his return, he was back to illegally entering
people's homes with force. WILLIAM WALLACE: He committed these robberies with a weapon.
He would terrorize regular residential neighborhoods, very middle class areas. Violent crime isn't very apparent in Hawaii,
so these types of crimes were very shocking to people. NARRATOR: Maugaotega spiraled into drug addiction
and would steal watches, jewelry, anything of value. Take it to a pawnshop and use the cash to feed his habit.
[tense music] One evening, Maugaotega's crimes would take a darker turn, when he broke into the home
of a 55-year-old woman. [ominous music] PATRICK JOHNSON: She was asleep around 11 o'clock.
PAUL MOW: He was rummaging through her dresser. He noticed that she was there asleep.
So he decides to wake her up. He demanded money from her. But then he also sexually assaulted her.
She tried to get away from him, but what he did was he pistol whipped her into compliance.
[ominous music] DR. LINA HAJI: The fact that Maugaotega decided to sexually assault her as opposed to just
robbing her, again, shows that he has this antisocial personality. Where it's not about the robbery,
it is more about the power, and the control, and exerting his will over a vulnerable victim.
[tense music] This also has a rage component. He's clearly filled with anger. He's taking this rage out on a completely
vulnerable, innocent victim. And there was really no need for this kind of gratuitous violence.
So to me, that tells me that Maugaotega was probably enjoying inflicting pain on his victim.
[foreboding music] BRAD MILLER: Maugaotega was certainly escalating in violence as he was getting older,
and the danger for the community was that not only was he getting older, but he was getting stronger.
[tense music] He was getting bigger and he was getting more bold. [throbbing sound]
NARRATOR: Just three days after he committed the sexual assault and robbery. Maugaotega would strike again.
[throbbing sound] PAUL MOW: It's daytime Mr. Kawamoto came home. Civilian electrical engineer, he worked for the military.
[throbbing sound] He came home on his motorcycle. He gets into the house. Right away he notices something's wrong.
He sees these two Japanese dolls, there on the floor. [suspenseful music] As he was noticing these dolls, that's when Maugaotega came
toward him from the kitchen. [suspenseful music] He points the .45 Colt at Kawamoto
and he demands, give me your wallet. Give me your money. And Kawamoto complies, and then he further says,
well, I want you to show me things that you got down in the bedroom, down the stairs.
[suspenseful music] Kawamoto starts going down the stairs. He takes a couple steps and then he stops.
[tense music] This guy is going to kill me when I get down there. It doesn't matter whether I cooperate him with or not.
So he comes back up the stairs, and Maugaotega's surprised. [suspenseful music] And Maugaotega fires the gun, but when he fires the gun,
it goes click. [gun clicks] The gun had jammed or misfired, something had happened.
He tries to reset the gun because Kawamoto's thinking, I'm going to see if I can wrestle the gun.
So he's still approaching him, and from a distance of about 5 feet, a second shot is fired.
In that second shot hits him in his upper left chest. [tense music] [gunshot] 5 feet away, so we're talking about point-blank range.
[tense music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega fled the house, leaving Kawamoto for dead. - Mr. Kawamoto had a gunshot wound to the chest.
It was about a centimeter from his heart. PAUL MOW: He gets outside of his house,
and he's able to get to his neighbor's front door. The neighbor comes out and she sees him on the ground,
in front of her door and this big pie sized bloodstain on his shirt, but he's still able to tell her,
call the police, call 911. [tense music] DR. LINA HAJI: What's interesting is that he went to rob this victim,
and then he was confronted by the victim. And it seems that being confronted by a man
is very different than having been confronted by a woman. And with the prior female victim,
he exerted power, and control, and anger with the sexual assault, and the pistol whipping.
With the man, he seems to be a lot more fearful, intimidated, and less in control,
and so he resorts to shooting him. NARRATOR: While 43-year-old, Eric Kawamoto, was rushed to the hospital, his attacker, 17-year-old
Maugaotega was on the run. [suspenseful music] PAUL MOW: By that time, police had been alerted.
[tense music] There was a description of Maugaotega that was given by Kawamoto and the neighbor that
was used to help to track and identify him as he was going along the route, as he was escaping out.
NARRATOR: 50 minutes after shooting Eric Kawamoto, Maugaotega was being hunted down.
[suspenseful music] PAUL MOW: There's an officer that's pursuing him that at one point, when he's
on the Hawaii Baptist Academy grounds, he sees him toss the gun. He was trying to scale a fence, and I think
he falls off of the fence. [ominous music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega was captured. [somber music]
PAUL MOW: They found drugs. They found pipes. There was cocaine. There was meth residue in the pipes.
His pockets were bulging with jewelry. And the jewelry turned out to be jewelry that
was from the Kawamoto home. [shutter clicks] Jewelry owned by Kawamoto's wife, some
by Kawamoto's wife's mother. He had plundered the Kawamoto home. [shutter clicks]
PATRICK JOHNSON: I don't think he would have stopped until he was arrested. He kept committing crimes.
He kept escalating crimes. And if he had not been caught for shooting Mr. Kawamoto,
he probably would have shot somebody else or killed someone. [ambient music] Crimes like this don't happen often in Hawaii.
And it was a crime spree that the media really caught on to it, and I think it really just shocked
and shook the community in Hawaii kind to its core. [tense music] WILLIAM WALLACE: It's very shocking
to know that a 17-year-old is capable of all this violence. [suspenseful music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega was charged
with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree sexual assault, five counts of burglary,
four counts of robbery, second-degree assault, as well as drugs and weapons charges.
He pled not guilty. Despite only being 17 years of age, the judge decided he would be tried as an adult given
the severity of the crimes. [tense music] - Even though he's 17 years of age, he's a very dangerous individual and
it warrants being treated as an adult with regards to sentencing and the crimes that he faces, his charges.
NARRATOR: On February 20, 2004, the trial began. By pleading not guilty, Maugaotega forced his victims
to testify in court. [tense music] [shutter clicks] - I'm the chief of staff for the Department
of Prosecuting Attorney here in Honolulu, Hawaii. The one moment I think that really, really stands out
is the day that Eric Kawamoto actually testifies. [tense music] Man has incredible guts, just standing your ground,
protecting your home, confronting this individual, and not letting him control you.
[ominous music] The woman who was raped, she talked at length about persistent nightmares over the incident,
and she also talked about a grandson who used to come over to visit her. He felt so unsafe by being there
that he would carry a baseball bat for his own protection. And when you go into people's home,
you're invading someone's home, the sanctity of their home. You're not going to feel safe for a long time.
You feel violated. That is the effect that it has on victims. NARRATOR: After a 7-day trial, the jury found Miti Maugaotega
guilty of all charges. [suspenseful music] On May 17, 2004, he was sentenced to life without parole for shooting Eric Kawamoto.
For his other crimes, he was given 10 life sentences. [somber music] At the time, he had been given the longest prison
sentence in Hawaii's history. [suspenseful music] PAUL MOW: I don't recall him being very remorseful.
He apologized in court to Kawamoto's and to the other victims, but I don't ever think that he really, truly
was sincere when he did that. For one thing, when he apologized to them, he did so with his back facing them.
I want to say that he just kind of was going through the motions, you know, with an apology
to make himself look good. I don't believe that he was sincere. PATRICK JOHNSON: The thing about his sentence in Hawaii
is that he was a juvenile, tried as an adult for the crimes he committed, but it was unusual for a juvenile to be
given such a lengthy sentence. [suspenseful music] DR. LINA HAJI: This was the longest prison sentence handed
down in Hawaiian history. And so I think that this might have actually inflated his ego, especially
because he was so young. The brain isn't fully developed at the age of 17-18. And so a lot of the times, you see young offenders
not really fully processed. The fact that they've just been sentenced to so much time,
or that they're likely going to die in prison, they're almost dismissive of it. So for somebody like Maugaotega,
I suspect that a life sentence may have actually been something that he wore as a badge of honor.
[tense music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega started his sentence in a Hawaiian jail. He quickly showed he would be a problematic prisoner.
In January 2005, he was identified as being responsible for an attack on a fellow inmate.
Maugaotega was transferred to the mainland and to Tallahatchie prison. [suspenseful music]
This high security prison has the capacity to hold approximately 2,500 inmates. WILLIAM WALLACE: There's a large population
of Uso Gang members in the Tallahatchie prison facility in Mississippi. [shutter clicks]
Because the Hawaiians are outnumbered within the prison system there, so they form that prison
gang for their own protection. [tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: The Uso family has been
established for over 20 years. They operate more in criminal activity. They are engaged in felony activity.
They commit acts of violence. Their purpose is to benefit the members of the Uso family
while they're serving their time in prison. NARRATOR: Maugaotega is believed to have joined the prison gang early on in his sentence.
[foreboding music] DR. LINA HAJI: For somebody like Maugaotega, he was a perfect candidate to become a gang member.
Joining a gang is a perfect environment for him to further his desire to choose violence
and to inflict harm on people. Because gangs, their primary role is to continue committing crimes in prison,
so Maugaotega would have likely been allured by this. It's an opportunity for more power and more control.
He could climb the ranks, so this could have been viewed as a challenge for him.
NARRATOR: Maugaotega quickly racked up offenses. WILLIAM WALLACE: By getting his prison record in Mississippi
is full of disciplinary infractions, fighting possession of weapons and assaults.
[tense music] NARRATOR: After a vicious attack on another inmate, he was deemed so volatile that there was only one way
to deal with him. [tense music] BRAD MILLER: Maugaotega was put on what's called an administrative hold, where he's not allowed to be
around any other prisoners. But the first opportunity to get out of that particular situation, he took it.
[ominous music] NARRATOR: A prison guard mistakenly pushed the button that released all of the cell doors.
Maugaotega first thought was blood. [suspenseful music] BRAD MILLER: Maugaotega immediately
ran out of his jail cell. Found another inmate that he wanted to injure, and decided to beat that person to a pulp, cracking his skull,
ripping off his top lip, and injuring him so severely. That's how violent Maugaotega was.
[tense music] NARRATOR: The prisoner who Maugaotega attacked was left with permanent brain damage.
[ominous music] DR. LINA HAJI: Maugaotega has already shown the world that he is escalating, and so of course,
his attacks have to become more brutal, more horrific. [shutter clicks] NARRATOR: Maugaotega appeared to be used by the Uso Gang
as a weapon of mass destruction. It wasn't long before he struck again. [tense music]
PATRICK JOHNSON: Mr. Maugaotega and several other inmates assaulted inmate Alejandro Steele.
Mr. Steele was found by correctional officers laying on the floor. He was conscious, but he had a broken jaw.
[ominous music] DR. LINA HAJI: For him, this is almost becoming like his job. He doesn't seem to have any kind of remorse
or any ability to understand the value of human life. It's giving him a reputation, which
is something to be desired within a gang, within a correctional facility. So he's continuing on with this because there really
are no negative consequences to him committing these heinous, egregious acts on other inmates.
[tense music] BRAD MILLER: He's an extremely dangerous individual, and when he has an opportunity to harm or to kill somebody,
he takes that opportunity. He hates society. He hates people, and he tries to kill them when he can.
[tense music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega behavior at Tallahatchie was so disruptive that he was moved from Mississippi
to a prison in Arizona. [suspenseful music] WILLIAM WALLACE: In the Saguaro facility, there's approximately
1,000 Hawaiian inmates. Maugaotega was part of a SHIP program, S-H-I-P. It's a special housing unit where they put all different
types of gang members, all in the same prison pod system, and house them all together.
[suspenseful music] NARRATOR: One of Maugaotega's fellow Hawaiian inmates was 26-year-old Bronson Nunuha.
[tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: Bronson Nunuha was a Hawaiian inmate. He was originally from the island of Maui.
He was sent to Saguaro Prison for property crimes. He had a burglary conviction and auto
theft Mr. Nunuha was scheduled to be released within a few months. His aspirations were to go back to Maui and be with his son.
His son was around five years old, and that was what he wanted to do when he got out
was go back and be a father to his son. [tense music] NARRATOR: Although Nunuha was a fellow Hawaiian,
he was in a different prison gang to Maugaotega. [ambient music] PATRICK JOHNSON: The West Side Gang
is another gang from Hawaii. They are classified as a security threat group by the Hawaiian Department of Public Safety.
West Side and Uso, they house together, they eat together, go to recreation together.
So they're not rivals that are always fighting with each other, but they are rivals.
Nunuha was just a soldier within the West Side gang. He did not have a leadership role.
He was just a member. [tense music] WILLIAM WALLACE: It appeared as though Nunuha was
being targeted by Maugaotega. Maugaotega didn't like Bronson Nunuha. [ominous music]
Maugaotega started picking on him, at one point at a basketball court in early 2010,
he decided to punch Bronson in the face. [suspenseful music] DR. LINA HAJI: Maugaotega, he wasn't
content with these two gangs civilly existing together. He is like a bully. He goes up to Nunuha and he incites violence.
He seemingly punches him in the face for no real reason other than some kind of tiff on a basketball court.
Maugaotega is looking for trouble. He's looking to cause separation. He wants violence.
He wants problems. He wants conflicts. He thrives off of that. [suspenseful music]
NARRATOR: In contrast, Nunuha didn't appear to want any trouble. He tried to keep away from his antagonist, Maugaotega.
[tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: We knew that he had not gone out to a recreation.
He had not left his cell, it was abnormal. We don't know whether or not Nunuha was actually
sick or if he was scared of Maugaotega doing something to him. [ominous music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega was not a lone warrior.
He had a right hand man. [tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: Micah Kanahele is another Uso member.
He was housed in the same pod as Nunuha and Maugaotega. Micah Kanahele was serving a life
with the possibility of parole sentence for a murder in Hawaii. [suspenseful music]
NARRATOR: Maugaotega wanted Bronson Nunuha dead and enlisted Kanahele to help. While Nunuha was marked for death
was never known, making shanks, they waited for their moment. [suspenseful music]
PATRICK JOHNSON: Maugaotega and Kanahele knew the schedules of the correctional officers
that were working. Prison is an environment that runs on schedules, and inmates know that.
And so inmates know when they have opportunities to commit crimes. NARRATOR: Eight days after Maugaotega punched
Nunuha, that opportunity came. Maugaotega and Kanahele grabbed their shanks, and headed to the new house cell.
It appeared he knew they were coming. PATRICK JOHNSON: Nunuha was scared. And Nunuha was on his bunk.
He saw them come in and he curled up, probably hoping that his worst nightmare wasn't coming true.
He did not fight back. He tried to protect himself. They both had shanks and that's when Maugaotega began stabbing.
Kanahele was also stabbing in Nunuha. Maugaotega said that he dragged Nunuha off the bed
where Nunuha hit the floor. The two men were stabbing the Nunuha over and over again.
But Maugaotega wanted to make sure that Nunuha was dead, so he stomped on his neck,
breaking his neck, causing him to die. [tense music] And that's when Maugaotega carved Uso into Nunuha chest.
[somber music] DR. LINA HAJI: He stabs him 140 times, which is considered overkill.
I don't think he needed a reason. He didn't need a reason, really, in his past crimes.
This really shows us that he's continuing to escalate, but he's continuing to act this way because he
actually enjoys violence. He enjoys the act of violence. He enjoys the act of inflicting and causing
harm to other human beings. [somber music] WILLIAM WALLACE: Maugaotega carved his gang name, Uso,
in Bronson Nunuha's chest as a message to send to the other West Side Gang members
that you're not to antagonize the Uso Gang. In my years of prosecuting, I've never seen anything like this.
[suspenseful music] After the attack, Kanahele and Maugaotega went to the showers
and cleaned themselves off. The other inmates that were around continued to distract the guards
so that they could continue to cover their tracks and hide their weapons. [tense music]
NARRATOR: The body of Nunuha was found 30 minutes later. [tense music] Officers tried life saving measures,
but it was clear he was dead. [somber music] PATRICK JOHNSON: Maugaotega was a person of interest
pretty quickly because there's video, and the actions leading up to the homicide were on video.
Staff was able to recognize both Maugaotega and Kanahele as the two inmates who entered the cell.
[tense music] NARRATOR: Prison investigators talked to Maugaotega. [somber music]
INVESTIGATOR: So what happened when you went in to the room? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: I'll talk to you first.
INVESTIGATOR: He was standing or was he on the bed? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: He's on the bed.
INVESTIGATOR: OK. MITI MAUGAOTEGA: I stab him a couple of times. INVESTIGATOR: OK.
MITI MAUGAOTEGA: Stab him a couple of times. You didn't want to come down. INVESTIGATOR: OK.
Do you know where you stabbed him? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: In the neck. INVESTIGATOR: In the neck.
MITI MAUGAOTEGA: All over. INVESTIGATOR: OK. [tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: Mr. Maugaotega told police why he did it,
when they did the interviews. Mr. Maugaotega exact quotes were West Side this, West Side that, which
is a rival gang that Mr. Maugaotega took as disrespect to not only him, but the Uso family.
[suspenseful music] INVESTIGATOR: How long have you been to Uso? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: Since I came in.
Since I went to Uso. INVESTIGATOR: When was that? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: 2003. INVESTIGATOR: 2003.
[tense music] INVESTIGATOR: I mean, what do you-- MITI MAUGAOTEGA: Yeah. INVESTIGATOR: Do you have a status right now or no?
Are you a soldier or sergeant lieutenant something? I don't even know what your hierarchy is.
What are you? MITI MAUGAOTEGA: I'm more of a soldier boy. INVESTIGATOR: Soldier.
MITI MAUGAOTEGA: But I'm my own man in that family. INVESTIGATOR: OK. OK. MITI MAUGAOTEGA: Yeah, that Nunuha captain
told me what to do. [suspenseful music] DR. LINA HAJI: I think the gang is a type of environment that helps
facilitate his need to kill. I think that even if Maugaotega hadn't been in a gang,
he would have been just as violent. He would have been just as horrific. [tense music]
I think this is actually a double win for Maugaotega because he gets to murder somebody,
he gets to inflict pain on somebody. Then he gets to take credit for it, which he enjoys.
And then he gets to use the gang almost as a cover, as an excuse. [suspenseful music]
PATRICK JOHNSON: I became the lead prosecutor on the case for about five years leading up to the trial.
My initial thoughts on Maugaotega, I was shocked. I could not believe that not only had these guys killed
another inmate, but they had also carved initials of the gang in the chest. I just hadn't heard of anything like that before,
and so I was pretty surprised and in shocked that someone would do this to another person.
NARRATOR: Maugaotega was charged with first-degree murder and participating in a criminal street gang.
The 25-year-old pled not guilty. Patrick and his team decided on behalf of the state
to seek the death penalty. [tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: When the state files an allegation
that the state is seeking death, there are aggravating factors that are part of the Arizona Law that the state has to allege.
And so in this case, the aggravating factors were that this murder had been committed
in furtherance of the use of criminal street gang. That the murder was a cruel, heinous, or depraved,
and that also Mr. Maugaotega had serious offenses for which he had been convicted in-- in Hawaii.
[tense music] We build our case against Maugaotega by really going back through his life
and building a case that he was a serious, violent, chronic offender, that was someone
whose behavior was escalating. You could see it escalating. [tense music] NARRATOR: Whilst awaiting trial, Maugaotega and
his accomplice Kanahele, were temporarily sent to the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona.
They were housed in the same wing and trouble soon erupted. [suspenseful music] PATRICK JOHNSON: Part of inmates
daily routine is that they are sent out to recreation cages to do recreation, so that they have time outside.
So Maugaotega and Kanahele were together. They were wrecking together, and when the correctional officers went to let them-- basically
out of their cell or bring them back to their cells, Kanahele pushed the door open.
[suspenseful music] Pushing one of the correctional officers into Maugaotega. Maugaotega started stabbing one of the correctional officers,
and then Kanahele grabbed one of the correctional officers and started stabbing him.
Kanahele and Kanahele stabbed both correctional officers numerous times. [tense music]
NARRATOR: Fortunately, both officers survived, and Maugaotega was later charged with two
counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. [suspenseful music] DR. LINA HAJI: No one is off limits for Maugaotega.
The only way to intervene with Maugaotega is with isolation and behavior modification.
And what do I mean by behavior modification is there has to be some sort of incentive for him
to change his ways. [suspenseful music] With people who are so highly violent and
so highly psychopathic, even behavior modification has its limits. And so the way to deal with somebody
like Maugaotega is isolation. [tense music] NARRATOR: As the murder of Bronson Nunuha
was a death penalty case, it took years for the defense attorneys to prepare for trial.
Finally, in 2021, 11 years after the killing, Maugaotega was in court. PATRICK JOHNSON: We felt we had a strong case,
we felt we had strong witnesses and we had done our homework in Hawaii. WILLIAM WALLACE: The first time I
saw Maugaotega was in court leading up to the trial, and I was surprised with how physically big
he is as a person. I felt that he looks like a very imposing, scary person. PATRICK JOHNSON: Maugaotega made me feel angry.
I knew what he had done. I never saw any remorse from him. I never saw any sorrow from him for what he did.
And when I interacted with him or saw him in court, I just felt like he did not care about what he had done.
[suspenseful music] NARRATOR: The trial went on for three months, the jury found Miti Maugaotega guilty of first-degree murder.
Then they had to decide whether he should be put to death. PATRICK JOHNSON: We wanted the jury
to know that Miti Maugaotega had no regard for the laws of our society, that he lived by his own code, and
that was a code of violence, death, and destruction. The defendants key argument in felony phase
was that Mr. Maugaotega had a horrible childhood that included being burned, that he had been neglected.
And because of that and the circumstances of Mr. Maugaotega's life, that he should not
be given the death penalty. [tense music] NARRATOR: The jury deliberated for four days.
They could not reach a unanimous verdict of death. [tense music] WILLIAM WALLACE: My reaction to the verdict was surprised.
[tense music] I believe that this crime and this person were deserving of the death penalty.
NARRATOR: Maugaotega may have narrowly escaped the death sentence, but he will die behind bars as he received
another natural life sentence. [tense music] PATRICK JOHNSON: Based on who he's been,
what he's done, the pain that he's caused, the fact that he continues to create victims.
In my opinion, the only appropriate sentence for what Mr. Maugaotega did in this case
was the death penalty. DR. LINA HAJI: I don't think consequences have ever mattered
to him or deterred him. So the sentence was really inconsequential, probably to him.
Maugaotega is going to continue doing what he wants to do when he wants to do it,
no matter what the sentence is that he receives. [tense music] NARRATOR: Maugaotega was sent back to Saguaro.
He will never be released. Just as his victims and their families will never be released from the pain he inflicted.
PATRICK JOHNSON: Maugaotega has devastated multiple people. They are left with the emotional toll and
the emotional scarring of his actions and what he's done to them, and what he's done to their loved ones.
He's created a lot of heartache. He's hurt a lot of people. [somber music] DR. LINA HAJI: I think Maugaotega
is one of the highest levels of evil from such a young age. I mean, there was burglaries, there were robberies,
there was sexual violence, there was murder, there was overkill. That, to me, is the most evil type of person
because it shows that there are no limits as to what kind of crimes he's willing to engage in.
[suspenseful music] WILLIAM WALLACE: Knowing that Maugaotega is still kind of out there, it's kind of scary for anyone
who will come in contact with him in the prison system. DR. LINA HAJI: I can see him continuing
to harm and hurt people until he takes his very last breath. [suspenseful music]

Convicted of shooting a man and 21 other felonies, Miti Maugaotega Jr. receives one of the longest prison sentences in Hawaiʻi history. Behind bars, he joins a prison gang and becomes a tornado of death and destruction.

World’s Most Evil Prisoners is a chilling exploration of the terrifying offenders sentenced to a lifetime behind bars. Locked away, yet still driven by their twisted desires, these inmates delve into acts of torture, abduction, and homicide. Prepare to confront the criminals from the darkest facets of humanity.

For More FilmRise Check Out Our Other Channels: FilmRise Television: https://www.youtube.com/@FilmRiseTelevision FilmRise Movies: https://www.youtube.com/⁨@FilmRiseMovies⁩ Highway to Heaven - Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@HighwaytoHeavenFullEpisodes

Brief Summary

Miti Maugaotega's violent life includes murder, sexual assault, and gang activity, leaving lasting impacts on victims and society.

Key points

A Shocking Assault. Maugaotega's violent crime spree culminates in a brutal attack on a 55-year-old woman.
The Rise of Miti Maugaotega. Miti Maugaotega's violent behavior escalates from a young age, leading to severe crimes.
Trial and Sentencing. Maugaotega is found guilty of multiple charges and receives the longest sentence in Hawaii's history.
The Brutal Murder of Bronson Nunuha. Maugaotega brutally murdered fellow inmate Bronson Nunuha, stabbing him 140 times.
Maugaotega's Trial. Maugaotega was found guilty of first-degree murder after a lengthy trial.
A Narrow Escape from Death Penalty. Despite the heinous crime, Maugaotega narrowly escaped the death penalty but received a life sentence.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He's an extremely dangerous individual.

Brad Miller describes Miti Maugaotega's threat level.

1:57WatchFeb 2, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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