Drunk driver to serve 18 years

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Hawai'i Paroling Authority has ordered the 21-year-old responsible for the drunken-driving collision that killed a Waimanalo woman to serve 18 years of his 20-year prison term for manslaughter before he is eligible for parole.

Three and a half months before the Waimanalo crash, Kam Williams had been convicted of driving under the influence, prosecutors said. Advertiser library photo

"I think we're satisfied with that," Wiley's husband, David, said yesterday. "I've talked with the rest of the family and they're satisfied with (the 18 years)."

The minimum term set by the paroling officials is the same set for former police officer Clyde Arakawa, who is serving 18 years of a 20-year prison term for manslaughter for the 2000 collision that killed 19-year-old Dana Ambrose.

Franklin Pacarro Jr., the prosecutor in the Williams case, said yesterday that before the Arakawa case, there had been only one manslaughter conviction resulting from a drunk driving fatality; most are for negligent homicide.

Like Williams, Arakawa had been drinking in a bar for hours before the fatal collision, according to the court testimony.

"The Arakawa case and this case, it's new stuff. We've never gotten penalties like this before," Pacarro said. "It's the same situation: Someone is drinking and driving, and kills someone."

Pacarro said Williams was twice stopped by police after the collision and cited for driving without a license, on Feb. 19, 2002, and June 11, 2002.

"The after-the-fact things — he had no license, no insurance — and we let the parole board know," Pacarro said. "He was acting like he was untouchable, and the parole board showed him that he was not."

Tommy Johnson, administrator for the Hawai'i Paroling Authority, said the board considers many factors before deciding on a sentence. He said the average sentence for manslaughter last year ranged from 4 to 15 years.

Deputy Public Defender Phyllis Hironaka, Williams' attorney, could not be reached for comment.

Williams, then 19, had been drinking with friends at a nightclub until 4 a.m. before he drove a friend's car home and apparently fell asleep. The car drifted across the center line of Kalaniana'ole Highway, his lawyer said at Williams' guilty pleading.

After narrowly missing another car, he slammed into Wiley's Honda, half of which collapsed like an accordion.

Wiley, 32, had to be pried from her car. She served in the Air National Guard and was on her way to work at Hickam Air Force Base when she was killed.

Williams' blood alcohol level that morning was 0.20, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. Three and a half months before, Williams had been convicted of driving under the influence, according to prosecutors. At the time of the Waimanalo crash, he did not have a driver's license.

Police almost dropped the case in January 2002 because they had no witnesses who could place Williams behind the wheel. Police could have gone back to the car for fingerprints or blood evidence, but the vehicle was not seized and had since been destroyed.

The investigation was renewed after a story in The Advertiser led to a new witness and an indictment. Williams pleaded not guilty in April 2002. In November, he changed his plea to manslaughter.

At home yesterday, David Wiley said life was continuing for him and his family, but constant memories of Lorrie-Ann made it difficult to move on. He said he and his 7-year-old daughter, Kayla, recently moved a short distance from where his wife of 12 years is buried.

"It's really not my job to forgive him. He (Williams) didn't take my life. He took my wife's life, and there is only one person who can forgive him, and she's not here. It's something he'll have to pursue at another time, the forgiveness factor," Wiley said.

Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.