Posted on: Tuesday, November 26, 2002

Man gets 10 years for 1989 slaying

Advertiser Staff

A 39-year-old O'ahu man pleaded guilty in Circuit Court yesterday to the 1989 drug-related slaying of a Waimanalo man.

Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto sentenced John Joseph "Joe" Griffiths to a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Griffiths was originally charged with murder in connection with the 1989 execution-style slaying of Eric Kamanu, runner-up in the 1986 Mr. Hawaiian Islands bodybuilding competition.

Griffiths was tried on a charge of murder but Circuit Judge Wilfred Watanabe declared a mistrial in March 1999 when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict after more than a day and a half of deliberations.

Kamanu's body was found near Huli Street in Waimanalo in August 1989. He had been shot in the head.

During Griffiths murder trial, prosecutors contended that Kamanu was a cocaine dealer who was killed when his associates wanted a share of his money. Griffiths had denied that he was involved in the murder.