Slain man
probably let
killer enter

Investigators think
that the Waikiki landlord
was killed during
a robbery

By Mary Adamski and Lori Tighe
Star-Bulletin

Honolulu businessman Samuel S. Gilbert Jr. probably opened his door to the person who killed him, according to detectives.

Gilbert, 69, was found dead yesterday in his second-floor office at the Waikiki Whaler apartments at 232 Kaiulani Ave. Investigators said he was apparently killed during a robbery.

He was president of Kapuni Development Corp., a family company that owned the seven-story building of rental units in a residential area of Waikiki. Gilbert was formerly a partner in an ambulance service.

Tenants in the building said he spent several hours every day in the second-floor office at the top of an open stairwell a few steps from the street.

"He wouldn't open the door if he didn't know who it was," said John Sexton, one of the building residents who said they'd seen cash in Gilbert's office when they went there to pay their rent.

Police homicide Lt. Allen Napoleon said there was evidence that the office was searched. There was no sign of forced entry, he said.

Gilbert sustained multiple puncture wounds. The weapon was not immediately determined, police said. An autopsy was to be done today.

Gilbert was found at 1:50 p.m. by his brother, Fred Gilbert, who called 911. The office door was locked when he arrived, and a glass louver had been broken.

Neighbors said they heard glass breaking between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., but no one reported hearing an argument or gunshots, Napoleon said. Investigators are seeking other witnesses.

Building maintenance man Chuck Salas swept up glass from the ground -- apparently from the broken louver -- between 11:45 a.m. and noon, the detective said.

The building is occupied mostly by families or retirees, said resident Manny Hernandez, but there have been prostitutes and drug users. "Sam started cleaning them out," he said. "I never heard him argue with anyone, but he has put people out."

The attack happened at about the time that Gilbert usually set off on foot for a standing lunch engagement at Waikiki Yacht Club. When news of the slaying reached the club, his friends had trouble believing it.

"I was wondering why he didn't come," said a stunned Don Meyers, a friend of Gilbert's for nearly 25 years. "It's unlike him."

"I'm so shocked," Meyers said. "It must have been a spur-of-the-moment thing, something really strange. He doesn't have any enemies. I can't even imagine this."

Gilbert met usually met for lunch with Meyers and other retired businessmen to debate news stories of the day. "I was the only liberal in the bunch," Meyers said.

Gilbert managed several rental properties, Meyers said. He had succeeded in various business ventures, including Hawaii Ambulance Service.

Gilbert was a well-liked, gregarious person, said his friend. "He was a comic, a master of ceremonies on numerous occasions. He just let everybody live the way they wanted to live." Gilbert came to Hawaii from Los Angeles in the 1950s. He had been married since 1960 to wife Josephine. They lived at Diamond Head.

Last week the Gilberts had a party at the yacht club for nearly 20 cousins from Los Angeles to celebrate the arrival of their granddaughter, the child of son Samuel III and his wife, Meyers said.

Club manager Gordon Boeder said: "He was a member of substantial standing. He was always a gentleman."

Gilbert had a sailboat and sailing was his passion, said his longtime friend and lawyer John Jubinsky. "He was an easygoing guy with a good sense of humor. I just don't understand it. I'm very surprised."

The apartment building Gilbert had managed was getting more difficult, Jubinsky said. "But Sam never talked about any threats or problems. He just said he was getting old and tired of managing the property."

Hernandez said the end of the month wasn't a significant rent-collecting time. "People here don't pay until the fifth or the 10th."

Tenant Cheryl Merritt said "He was strict but he's really nice. If I told him something was broken, he'd say, 'I'll get right on it.' If you were behind in rent, he gave you a break."