HONOLULU A Hawaii man charged with the beating death of a homeless man has agreed to plead guilty and testify against his co-defendant.
HONOLULU — A Hawaii man charged with the beating death of a homeless man has agreed to plead guilty and testify against his co-defendant.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday that 39-year-old Chu Lun K. Aiona pleaded guilty in state court to the reduced charge of first-degree assault.
A prosecutor says Aiona’s plea deal includes a maximum 10-year prison term and a cooperation agreement to testify against 36-year-old Nicholas Payne.
Authorities say Aiona and Payne attacked 46-year-old Joey Nguyen near the Hawaii Convention Center in August 2018, kicking and punching his face and body for 35-40 minutes.
The Honolulu Medical Examiner says Nguyen died from blunt force head injury.
The prosecutor says Aiona would have faced a mandatory life prison term with no parole because of two prior felony convictions.
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com
