Posted on: Friday, February 18, 2005
No chance of parole for Punchbowl shooter
By Ken Kobayashi
Advertiser Courts Writer
A 19-year-old man must spend the rest of his life in prison without any chance of parole for a series of violent crimes in 2003 that included the point-blank shooting of a Punchbowl resident during a daylight burglary and the sexual assault of a woman.
"I'm extremely pleased," said Eric Kawamoto, 45, an electrical engineer who was shot in the chest June 26, 2003, at his Punchbowl home.
"It gives me peace of mind, not just for me but the other communities where he committed the crimes," Kawamoto said.
In May, Maugaotega was sentenced by Circuit Judge Patrick Border to life without parole for the shooting and 10 life terms with parole. The sentence is considered by authorities to be one of the longest ever issued by a state judge.
Because Border ordered that the sentences run consecutively, the parole board also found that the minimum terms that he must serve before being eligible for parole also must run consecutively.
Although the shooting carried the life without parole term, under state law, the governor can commute the sentence to life with parole after the prisoner serves 20 years.
But even if Maugaotega is paroled on the shooting, he must serve at least 140 years under the paroling authority's ruling.
"We think it's an appropriate decision for the crimes that occurred and the trauma and terror he inflicted on the community," said Jim Fulton, a spokesman for the city prosecutor's office.
Deputy public defender Walter Rodby, Maugaotega's lawyer, could not be reached for comment.
In addition to the shooting, Maugaotega also was found guilty of more than 20 other felonies that included breaking into four Nu'uanu and Makiki homes in May and June 2003. In the Makiki burglary, Maugaotega was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 55-year-old woman.
At the time of the crimes, Maugaotega was 17. The Family Court ruled he could be tried as an adult.
City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle held a press conference after the Punchbowl shooting and said the crime was a sign of O'ahu's property-crime epidemic fueled by drug use. Carlisle later personally prosecuted the case.
During the trial, Maugaotega acknowledged that in addition to a handgun, he also had crystal methamphetamine and a pipe when he broke into the Kawamoto home.
Tommy Johnson, Hawai'i Paroling Authority administrator, said one reason for the lengthy terms was the "horrendous" nature of the crimes.
Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8030.
The three-member Hawai'i Paroling Authority earlier this month ruled that Miti Maugaotega Jr. must serve a life sentence without parole for the shooting and then 140 years before he can be considered for parole, one of the longest terms ever handed down by paroling officials.
Miti Maugaotega Jr.
