Posted on: Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Man sentenced to 10 years in Latchum case

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

A 22-year-old Wai'anae man who was involved in the shooting death of Army helicopter pilot John Latchum Jr. was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison yesterday.

Keala Leong, who admitted at an earlier court hearing that he went with a group of other young men hoping to take anything of value from the front porch of the rented beach cabin at the Wai'anae Army Recreation Center where Latchum was staying with his family, fought back tears yesterday as he apologized to Latchum's family, none of whom were present.

Latchum, 33, was killed after he and his wife, Wendy, stepped onto the porch of the cabin in an effort to chase away a group of young men who were trying to break in.

Leong's lawyer, Rustam Barbee, argued throughout the trial of Bryson Jose, Roberto Miguel and Leong that his client was not involved in a plan to shoot anyone and that Leong was not on the porch the night Latchum was killed.

The jury in the case initially found all three men guilty of murder, but when each of the 12 jurors was polled individually, one of them said she no longer felt Leong was guilty of murder.

Federal Judge Helen Gillmor then declared a mistrial on the murder charge against Leong.

Leong agreed to plead guilty to an attempted burglary charge in exchange for prosecutors dropping the murder charge.

Under federal law, a murder conviction brings a life term without parole, while a conviction for attempted burglary typically brings a sentence of 33 to 41 months. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Johnson yesterday asked Gillmor to increase the sentence to a full 10 years because a firearm was used and Latchum was killed in the incident.

Miguel, who fired the bullet that killed Latchum, was sentenced last month to life in prison without parole. Jose is awaiting sentencing.