ROD THOMPSON / RTHOMPSON@STARBULLETIN.COM Albert Pacheco, accused in the shooting death of his wife, Cathalene, was led into court yesterday in prison coveralls.

Colleagues say
Pacheco confessed

The Big Isle officer is ordered
to stand trial on charges that
he murdered his wife

---

By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com

WAIMEA, Hawaii >> Big Island police Detective Albert Pacheco confessed to killing his wife in a Friday night phone call to Tom Fratinardo, his friend and fellow police officer, Fratinardo testified yesterday.

Fratinardo said Pacheco told him: "Tom, this is Albert. I just killed Cathy. I ran her off the road and killed her. I'm a sinner. God will deal with me."

Pacheco, 45, appeared at a preliminary hearing yesterday on a charge of murdering his wife Cathalene Ann, 42, on Friday.

District Judge Sandra Schutte ordered Pacheco to stand trial in Circuit Court on charges of murder, criminal property damage, terroristic threatening and use of a firearm in a felony.

Schutte maintained Pache-co's no-bail status until a Jan. 23 hearing before Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura.

Witness Dawn Cachero said she was visiting a friend's house in Waikoloa when she saw the murder in the early evening darkness. She said a man driving a car hit a van on a residential street and both vehicles stopped. The man walked up to the van firing six to eight shots. He returned to his car, then went back to the van, and she heard another eight to 10 shots.

Deputy Prosecutor Michael Udovic said outside the court that Pacheco apparently returned to the car to reload his police semiautomatic pistol.

Detective Richard Miyamoto testified that pathologist Alvin Omori, who did an autopsy on Cathalene Pacheco's body, reported that she died from "multiple gunshot wounds to the neck and head."

Sgt. Hyland Char testified that Pacheco also confessed to him. "Hyland, I did it to her good this time. I did it to her good," Char said Pacheco told him.

Cathalene Pacheco's paddling coach Heidi Hemmings said outside the courtroom that the victim had moved out of her family's house and had moved into the home of a married woman friend.

After the murder, Hemmings learned from friends that Pacheco had been physically abusing his wife. "She was deathly afraid of him," Hemmings said.

Hemmings was among several friends and family members at the hearing who attended the same church as Pacheco and his wife. Some were heard mumbling prayers as Pacheco was led to and from court, while some police officers called out encouragement to Pacheco.

Hemmings shouted to Pacheco that he should repent. She later explained that besides the religious sense, she meant he should accept accountability and plead guilty.

"I can't understand why Cathy had to die such a tragic death," Hemmings said. "She was the sweetest person I had ever known in my life."