WAILUKU — Two Hawaii men were each sentenced to 18 months in jail in the deadly beating of a homeless man on Maui.
Kaniela Dutro, 22, and Kekaimalu Cacpal, 23, were sentenced in separate hearings last week after they each pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of first-degree assault, The Maui News reported Saturday.
The two Kihei men attacked 44-year-old Michael Gray at Kalama Park in March 2014, police said. Gray suffered facial and skull fractures, a lacerated spleen, fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. He died at a hospital three weeks later.
“This was a horrific case, a tragic case,” Deputy Prosecutor Carson Tani said. “No person should suffer this way and die in this way.”
Dutro was arrested in September 2014 and posted bail to be released from jail about a month. His attorney John Parker asked for Dutro to be spared additional jail time.
“He’s made a real effort to show the court and honor the court that he respects the law,” Parker said.
Parker noted his client is working and complying with court requirements.
“I grew up since that,” Dutro said in court. “I try my hardest to do my best. I’ll never turn back to that. I’m truly sorry from the bottom of my heart.”
Dutro was handed the jail sentence and taken into custody Friday. He will also be on probation for four years.
“This was a horrific crime where Mr. Gray was beaten to death, and you were a significant part of that beating,” Judge Rhonda Loo told Dutro.
Cacpal’s was sentenced in a different courtroom Friday. His attorney Walter Vierra told the court that Cacpal has been in jail for more than three years.
“I’ve grown a lot, and I understand what happened was wrong,” Cacpal told the court. “I’m very sorry for what happened.”
He was given credit for time served and ordered to five years of probation.
“Out of respect for the person who perished and just for your own sake and for the sake of the community, you have to make sure that you do something productive with your life,” Judge Joseph Cardoza told Cacpal.
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Information from: The Maui News, http://www.mauinews.com
Getting one year six months prison sentence for murdering another is an insult to human dignity. They should get at least 10 years behind bars with no parole.
I’ll bet if the victim was a son of a famous politician the outcome of that trial would be more severe, but no because he was homeless the courts look at it in a different light. Shooting your neighbor’s dog carry a much more severe punishment.
Those scrubs need to be in prison for life. They killed a person and that person suffered for weeks before succumbing to the gruesome injuries.
Family ties to the judge? It happens a lot. Too many dead people as a result of unworthy judges. These two punks will go on beat their girlfriends, wives, relatives, kids, and might even kill another homeless person.