Former Air Force man
gets jail for wife’s fatal
12-story plunge

By Linda Hosek
Star-Bulletin

A former military man should spend 10 years in prison to think about his role in the last hour of his wife's life, a federal prosecutor argued in court.

"She was hearing him yell at her; she was feeling his slaps; she was feeling his punches and falling 12 flights to her death," Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Brady said yesterday during the sentencing of Scott D. Edwards. "He needs to be reminded of that."

But U.S. District Judge Alan Kay gave Edwards, 31, credit for recognizing the wrongfulness of his conduct and the role alcohol and anger played in the 1996 incident at the Hale Koa Hotel.

Kay ordered him to serve nine years and two months in prison for causing the death of his wife, Kyong, a 22-year-old South Korean national.

He also ordered Edwards to participate in 500 hours of substance abuse treatment and anger management programs in prison.

Sam King Jr., Edwards' attorney, had asked Kay to sentence his client at the low end of the guideline range of 97 to 121 months.

King said Edwards had never been in trouble before, was truly remorseful and looked forward to dealing with his alcohol problem.

He also said both Edwards and his wife were intoxicated on May 31, 1996, and that the deadly incident probably would not have occurred if they had not been under the influence of alcohol.

Before he was sentenced, Edwards admitted that he committed a reckless act that led to his wife's death. He pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder,

blrb Edwards' attorney said the deadly incident probably would not have occurred if not for alcohol.which includes reckless behavior under federal law.

He apologized to his wife's family and said he prayed for their forgiveness. He also apologized to his family and thanked them for standing behind him 100 percent.

"I vow to you all I will get the rehabilitation I need so once again I can become the person you all knew when I was growing up," he said.

Brady questioned his sincerity, saying that Edwards received a drunken-driving conviction in 1988 and didn't get help after that.

He said Edwards chose a life with a pattern of violence in which he admitted to striking his wife. He said the incident wasn't an accident or bad luck, adding, "This was going to happen."

Kay cited Edwards' 11 years with the Air Force and said he is a good candidate for rehabilitation. But Kay also faulted Edwards for presenting several versions of his role in his wife's death.

Edwards first told military police that his wife climbed over the lanai railing during a shoving match in which both had been drinking, and fell when they let go of each other.

In a second interview, he denied being drunk or on the lanai when his wife fell. But he said he hit her and threatened to throw her off.

King said his client admitted when he changed his plea that he and his wife had been arguing and slapping each other.

He said Edwards told his wife she made him so mad he ought to throw her off the lanai. He said Edwards said she would jump and straddled the railing. King said she fell when Edwards touched her, not intending for her to go over.

Edwards, who worked as a mechanical technician for a U.S. company in Seoul, said in court that he and his wife had been having marital problems and had come to Hawaii for a vacation.

The federal government handled the case because the hotel property falls under U.S. jurisdiction.