Paulus Gamachuu, 29, of Kilauea, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to reduced charges of second-degree assault yesterday. Appearing in court with his public defender, James T. Itamura, a quiet Gamachuu listened to the extensive instructions from Judge Clifford L. Nakea,
Paulus Gamachuu, 29, of Kilauea, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to reduced charges of second-degree assault yesterday.
Appearing in court with his public defender, James T. Itamura, a quiet Gamachuu listened to the extensive instructions from Judge Clifford L. Nakea, offering one-word replies.
Nakea had to stop once to make sure that Gamachuu understood the questions, as English is Gamachuu’s second language.
The plea agreement reduced the charges Gamachuu faced, from second-degree attempted murder, which, if he was found guilty, carried a life sentence.
The second-degree assault, a class C felony, carries a maximum five-year sentence. He will be sentenced April 8.
He was charged with attempted murder after stabbing Kilauea resident Ernest Palacio Jr. twice in the neck and chest on Jan. 6.
The plea offer was arranged after the preliminary hearing, where witnesses to the incident said there was a fight between Gamachuu and Palacio before Gamachuu stabbed him, said county deputy prosecuting attorney Craig De Costa.
“The facts came out at the preliminary hearing, and (the prosecutor’s office) felt it was the more-appropriate charge,” De Costa said.
Gamachuu, a native of Micronesia, also faces deportation, but the federal Department of Homeland Security makes those enforcement decisions, De Costa added.
Admitting committing a violent felony involving a weapon would make him a more likely candidate for deportation, said De Costa.
Currently, Gamachuu is in Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center in lieu of $20,000 bail. The plea bargain arranged includes a bail reduction to $10,000.
Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
