The Hawaii Paroling Authority this afternoon said it would announce within 30 days the minimum sentence murderer Kirk Lankford will have to serve before he is eligible for parole.

Lankford was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole last year after he was convicted of murdering Masumi Watanabe, a Japanese national who was living on the North Shore.

At a hearing at Halawa prison today, city prosecutor Peter Carlisle showed parole board members 35,000 letters from people in Japan and the North Shore outraged about the case and asked that Lankford serve a minimum term of 120 years.

Watanabe's family flew in from Japan for the hearing and her father, Hideichi Watanabe, told the parole board through an interpreter that "we have not been able to find closure."

Lankford repeatedly apologized to Watanabe's family and said he feels "guilty about it every day."

Parole board chairman Al Tufono then asked Lankford's attorney, Don Wilkerson, "When he apologizes, what is he sorry for?"

Wilkerson responded, "He's not apologizing for murder because he didn't commit a murder."

Lankford maintained his position that Watanabe died as a result of an accident. Lankford claimed at his trial that he bumped Watanabe with his pesticide truck and was trying to take her home when she became agitated and jumped from the vehicle. Lankford said the woman died when she struck her head on a rock, and that he panicked and tried to dispose of her body without reporting the incident.

Watanabe's family repeatedly has asked Lankford to reveal where he buried their daughter, so they can take her remains back to Japan. Lankford today repeated his claim that he walked Watanabe's body into the ocean near Mokolii islet, also known as Chinaman's Hat, and let the currents carry her away.