LA JOLLA, Calif. -- The death of a Kauai-born surfer in San Diego, Calif., last year is once again making national headlines as the five men accused of his slaying stand trial.

The five young men, all from affluent families, are part of a gang that has terrorized the community for years, prosecutors said.

The men are accused of beating to death Emery Kauanui, 24, a professional surfer who moved from Kauai to San Diego 16 years ago.

The five men followed Kauanui home after a bar fight and severely beat him, authorities said. Kauanui died four days later.

A memorial was held for him at Anahola Beach two weeks later.

"Hopefully kids will realize that drinking and violence isn't the way to go," Kauanui's mother, Cindy, said.

Prosecutors said the defendants are part of a gang known as the "Bird Rock Bandits." The gang label would carry stiffer penalties, possibly life sentences. Their attorney said a group is not necessarily a gang.

"This is a group of young men. They do many things, and of the things they do is go out and drink and get in fights, but this does not make them a gang," defense attorney Mary Ellen Attridge said.

The trial continues in San Diego.