American accused of killing wife in Tonga, escaping on boat
HONOLULU — A U.S. citizen was being held Wednesday in Honolulu for extradition to Tonga, where he’s accused of beating his wife to death, escaping police and sailing some 300 miles to American Samoa.
Kingdom of Tonga officials said Dean Jay Fletcher, 54, was indicted on murder and other charges in the July death of his wife, Patricia Linne Kearney.
Three diving operators saw Fletcher assaulting his wife on a dinghy after she picked him up July 6 at the Neiafu Port of Refuge, according to provisional arrest documents filed in federal court in Honolulu.