Sailor could get death penalty
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
A Pearl Harbor sailor will face premeditated murder charges at a court-martial in the June 10 deaths of his wife and his mother-in-law, the Navy said yesterday.
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If convicted, Hull Technician 2nd Class David A. DeArmond, 32, could face the death penalty.
Hull Technician 2nd Class David A. DeArmond could face the death penalty.
Zaleha DeArmond died from a blow to the head with an iron skillet at the couple's Hokulani subdivision military housing, officials said.
Her mother, Saniah B. Abdul Ghani, who was visiting from Singapore, was stabbed to death.
Rear Adm. Robert T. Conway Jr., commander of Navy Region Hawai'i and the convening authority in the case, called for premeditated murder charges against DeArmond for both deaths.
Hawai'i does not have the death penalty, but it is applied in cases under military jurisdiction.
Additionally, DeArmond is charged with attempting to rape his wife and abuse her corpse, along with impeding an investigation by destroying, moving and tampering with evidence.
Co-workers and supervisors testified at an Article 32 hearing in November — a proceeding similar to a civilian grand jury investigation — that DeArmond feared his wife was planning to leave him and take their three young children to Singapore.
DeArmond is being held at the Ford Island brig. His military lawyers have not commented on the case.
