Massie Trial

The Massie Trial, for what was known as the Massie Affair, was a 1932 criminal trial that took place in Honolulu, Hawaii Territory . The affair started with a trial of five men on the charge of rape of a U.S. Navy wife, Thalia Massie. The trial ended in mistrial due to a hung jury, and they were never re-tried. One of the five, well-known Hawaiian prizefighter Joseph Kahahawai, was murdered, and Thalia's mother, Grace Fortescue, her stepfather Thomas Massie and two others were found with the body and charged for the crime. The murder trial of Fortescue, Massie and the others resulted in conviction, but their sentences were commuted to just one hour in the governor's office. The trials evoked widespread interest and also social tensions in Hawaii that authorities feared would incite a riot.

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