Man gets 10-year sentence for death of 2-year-old

By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer

An O'ahu man who was convicted in July of manslaughter in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter was sentenced yesterday to a 10-year prison term.

Circuit Judge Michael Town ruled that David Martinez must serve at least three years and four months of the sentence because the victim in the case was less than 8 years old. The Hawai'i Paroling Authority will determine how much time, beyond the minimum term imposed by Town, Martinez must serve before he is eligible for parole.

Town ruled in July, after a trial in which the defendants waived their right to a jury, that Martinez and his girlfriend, Dorothy Marie Faufata, were guilty of "manslaughter by omission" because they did not seek medical aid for 2-year-old Natasha Faufata for at least three hours after the girl showed signs of a critical illness.

The couple told doctors that the toddler had choked on a doughnut, but Town ruled there was evidence to show she had been battered. Dorothy Faufata has been sentenced to a 10-year term.

In 1996, Hawai'i law was amended to stiffen the penalty for a manslaughter conviction to 20 years.

Reach David Waite at 525-8030 or dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.