Woman pleads no contest to hindering prosecution
By David Waite
Advertiser Courts Writer
A Manoa woman pleaded no contest yesterday to hindering efforts to prosecute her husband on murder charges in the death and disappearance of a Kane'ohe man last August.
Jody Awana, 35, was placed on terms similar to probation for five years.
Gregory Awana
Jody Awana
Police said Gregory R. Awana, 39, has confessed to killing Yorck K. Woita, 28, and disposing of his body. He was charged with second-degree murder, auto theft, criminal property damage, firearm offenses and drug offenses.
Jody Awana was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution for assisting her husband in removing items used in the commercial growing of marijuana from an O'ahu Avenue house in Manoa.
She pleaded no contest to the hindering charge and yesterday, Circuit Judge Marie Milks granted a request by Awana, who has no prior criminal record, to defer acceptance of the no-contest plea.
If she stays out of trouble for the next five years and abides by other conditions imposed by the judge, Awana will avoid having a criminal record.
Awana's attorney, Michael Green, said after the court hearing yesterday that the hindering charge was a "very technical one."
He said Jody Awana told her husband to get rid of a marijuana growing operation that he was conducting inside the couple's home the night she learned about it.
He said police surveillance photos showed Jody Awana throwing trash bags later found to contain marijuana and "possibly other evidence related to (Woita's) murder" into the back of her husband's pickup truck. Green said Jody Awana knew nothing about the murder.
Police and prosecutors have said they believe Gregory Awana killed Woita after getting in a dispute with him over the marijuana growing operations.
Awana is scheduled to stand trial in September for Woita's death.
Reach David Waite at 525-8030 or at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.
