17-year-old agrees to be tried as adult in shooting of man
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
A 17-year-old boy will be tried as an adult in connection with the shooting of a Punchbowl man during a burglary in June.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Miti "Junior" Maugaotega, who turns 18 on Sept. 29, agreed yesterday to waive his right to a Family Court hearing. Judge Frances Wong questioned Maugaotega extensively to make sure he understood what he was doing before granting the waiver.
Miti Maugaotega decided not to contest the motion because he felt he couldn't have prevailed, his lawyer said.
Maugaotega had been charged as a juvenile with attempted second-degree murder, robbery, burglary, firearm and drug offenses. He will now be charged as an adult. The drug charges are related to three packets of cocaine and two smoking pipes that police said they found in his bag during his arrest.
The charges stem from the June 26 shooting of Eric Kawa-moto, who surprised a burglar inside his Punchbowl home. Kawamoto was shot in the chest with a .45-caliber pistol.
If convicted of attempted murder as an adult, Maugaotega will face life in prison with the possibility of parole. If he were to be tried and convicted as a juvenile, state law would require his release by age 19.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Deputy Public Defender Carolyn Brown, Maugaotega's attorney, said Maugaotega decided to forgo yesterday's hearing because it was obvious what the ruling would be. The defense cannot present a case in juvenile-waiver hearings because the judge's decision is based solely on police and social-worker reports, said Brown, and "based on that and his age (18 in a month), he knew well what the court would conclude."
Miti Maugaotega is embraced by his mother, Faleono Maugaotega, after he agreed to be tried as an adult in the shooting of Eric Kawamoto.
Maugaotega will be held at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility until tomorrow, said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Ching.
Maugaotega may go through the Family Court process again. Police have four other multiple-felony cases pending against him. He has been arrested as a juvenile in those cases but has not been charged. If he is charged in those cases prosecutors will have to waive him for trial as an adult separately for each case, said Ching.
The pending cases involve three first-degree sex-assault counts, and multiple armed-robbery and burglary counts stemming from four break-ins during a 34-day period.
Maugaotega hugged his mother and 10 other friends and relatives yesterday before being taken out of the courtroom.
Advertiser staff writer David Waite contributed to this report. Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8181.
