The American Samoa government will be seeking the death penalty for the man charged with killing a senior police officer.
Siaumau Siaumau Junior has been charged with the murder of Lieutenant Liusila Brown.
Assistant Attorney General, Mitsie Folau, says the government will be seeking the imposition of the death penalty should the defendant be convicted of first degree murder.
The notice has been served to Public Defender Ruth Rish Fuatagavi who is Siaumau's current attorney and private attorney Tautai Aviata Faalevao who will be taking over the case.
The last person sentenced to death on American Samoa was in 1939.
He was hanged at the Naval Station customs dock house for murder.
A bill was introduced in the fono in 2003 proposing to use lethal injections to administer the death penalty, but it was not approved.