Probation given in toddler's death

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A man who pleaded no contest in the death of his 22-month-old stepdaughter 16 years ago was sentenced yesterday to five years' probation.

Vern E. King was charged with the May 8, 1985, murder of Kareatha Gray in their 'Aiea home.

A Circuit Court jury was unable to reach a verdict at his August trial and a mistrial was declared.

Rather than bring King to trial again, prosecutors and King's public defender reached an agreement in which King would plead no contest to manslaughter.

In return, prosecutors agreed not to seek jail time for King.

In addition to the probation, Circuit Judge Karen Ahn fined King $250.

King, who had been on supervised release since the plea agreement was reached last month, also was given credit for the time he spent behind bars awaiting his trail.

City Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Kim said the case was difficult because the death happened more than 16 years ago.

He said the prosecution would have had a difficult time if King were brought to trial again.

"This deal was the most reasonable disposition of this case at this point, given the age of the case and some of the built-in difficulties with prosecuting it that we attempted to overcome and obviously didn't succeed totally at the first trial," Kim said. "(King) was found guilty of manslaughter, so he has a manslaughter conviction."

Prosecutors accused King of suffocating the little girl while her mother, Navy sailor Beverly Kelly, went to the store May 8, 1985. When she returned, she found the girl lifeless in bed.

An autopsy by the Honolulu medical examiner could not pinpoint a cause of death. The case was classified "undetermined" and was closed.

But in 1995, the case was reopened by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the focus shifted to King.

The case was turned over to Honolulu prosecutors, and King was indicted in 1996 and reindicted in 1999.

King testified at his trial that he did not do anything that led to Kareatha's death.

King said said he didn't know anything was wrong on the night of Kareatha's death until his wife came home, checked on the girl and began to scream for help.