Abuse spurred teen to kill, lawyer says
On Sept. 5, 1995, Sean Carvalho snapped.The 19-year-old had suffered emotional and physical abuse all his life by his father, being beaten and told he was stupid, Willie Domingo, Carvalho's attorney, said yesterday in opening statements in his client's murder trial.
His grandmother, Aminia "Mini" Santiago, also demeaned him, treating her dog better than the boy, Domingo said.
When she called him stupid at dinner that night at her Punchbowl Homes apartment, he couldn't take it anymore, Domingo said.
"Sean Carvalho took a bat and hit his grandmother on the top of her head, causing her death," he said, asking jurors to convict Carvalho, now 21, of manslaughter.
He said Carvalho's act was due to an extreme emotional disturbance, making him guilty of the lesser offense.
But Deputy Prosecutor Randy Oyama said Carvalho committed murder when he struck his grandmother with the bat, causing a gaping wound and skull fracture in the 71-year-old woman.
He said Carvalho left her slumped in her reclining chair with blood flowing, and walked to nearby Queen's Hospital, where he told a security guard to arrest him. Oyama said Carvalho told the guard his grandmother was "Satan" and told police she was making funny faces.
Boulder woman drowns in rough Maui surf
A swimmer on Maui died in rough surf yesterday, and the National Weather Service is continuing its high-surf advisory for today.A woman from Boulder, Colo., drowned off Koki Beach west of Hana Town, while on a outing with relatives.
A Maui fire rescue team aboard a helicopter pulled the victim and another woman, who was her cousin, from the surf.
The Maui Civil Defense this morning continued to warn the public about high surf conditions in the north and west shores, including Kaanapali, Honolua, Kahakuloa, Kahului, Paia, Hookipa and the Hana District.
On Oahu, meteorologist Bob Larson said the large swells West and Northwest of the Hawaiian islands are caused by a storm in Japan that has moved to the Gulf of Alaska.
Waves today are expected to be 8 to 12 feet, a decrease from the 15-foot waves reported at Sunset Beach yesterday, Larson said.
Larson said another storm in Japan could give Hawaii more swells tomorrow and on Christmas Day.
No major incidents were reported as a result of the surf on Oahu yesterday.
On Maui, the two women were reportedly swept out by large waves while swimming, authorities said.
"It was big, lots of strong currents," said acting Fire Capt. Michael De Costa.
De Costa said the victim was swimming with relatives from Anchorage, Alaska, and that by the time fire rescue workers got out to them, one woman was face down in the water and the other was on the brink of drowning.
Police are withholding the name of the victim, pending notification of next of kin.
Big Islanders coping after apartment fire
HILO -- This Christmas will be one of the best ever for Big Island firefighter Christian Wong, even though he will spend it on duty at the Honokaa fire station.Wong is upbeat because no one was seriously hurt in the Dec. 5 fire that devastated the Waiakea Villas apartment building, where he lives. Almost three dozen people became homeless from the fire, which caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage.
"I definitely know what it feels like to be on the other end," the 25-year-old firefighter said.
Modafferi pleads not guilty in drug case
Attorney Gary Modafferi has pleaded not guilty to drug and firearm charges and is scheduled to begin trial in federal court Feb. 18 before U.S. District Judge David Ezra.Modafferi, 38, a former deputy city prosecutor, was indicted last week for possessing and distributing crystal methamphetamine. He also was charged with possessing a firearm while being a user of and being addicted to "ice".
The charges involve distributing one prescription sleeping pill and about a half a gram of "ice" to a government informant.Michael Green, Modafferi's attorney, yesterday said he would ask the court to disqualify the U.S. Attorney's office, saying some U.S. attorneys may become material witnesses.
He said attorneys may have to testify to when the informant began working for the government. If the informant was using "ice" as part of her government role, the government would be allowing an illegal activity.
U.S. Magistrate Francis Yamashita yesterday also said he would decide if Modafferi could serve as an attorney for his clients.
Big Isle drunken-driving arrests up 18 percent
HILO -- Big Island police arrested 29 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol recently, bringing the total number for the year to 727, they said.The number represents an 18 percent increase over the 618 arrested by the same time last year.
There have also been 29 traffic fatalities on the Big Island this year, 13 of them alcohol-related.
Police released the statistics yesterday in warning that intensified efforts to discourage drunken driving, including roving patrols and roadblocks, are under way during the holiday season.
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Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staff'Counterfeit' bill real, man released
Police arrested and released a Kakaako man for allegedly using a counterfeit $100 bill at Fantasy Island Showgirls nightclub last night.Club management called police at 10:15 p.m. when the suspect, 35, presented the bill to pay for drinks, police said.
The bill, which police said was very old with no watermarks, was checked and determined to be authentic by federal Secret Service agents. Police said the man was immediately released.
Suspect arrested in golf-club assault
Police on Sunday arrested a Waipahu man for allegedly beating his girlfriend with a golf club last week.The woman was allegedly jabbed and struck with the club in a domestic argument last Friday, police said.
The suspect fled the Waipahu home and was located on Sunday.
The suspect faces second-degree assault charges, police said.
cb,18p0 Woman treated for gunshot wound
A 51-year-old woman accidentally shot in the left shoulder with a small-caliber pistol by her grandson returned to her Waikiki home after being treated yesterday at Queen's Hospital.
The injury resembled a bird-shot wound without much penetration, a firefighter said.
The incident occurred shortly after noon in an apartment of The Pavilion at 1925 Kalakaua Ave.
'Ice pipe' found in Maui prison
WAILUKU -- A prison inmate was arrested and later released pending further investigation, after an "ice pipe" was found in a dormitory during a search of the Maui prison yesterday.Officers found homemade tattoo machines but no weapons or drugs.
Prison warden Albert Murashige said the raid showed the state Department of Public Safety's commitment to keeping the facility a safe place for inmates and staff.
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