State wants rapist to serve his term
The 85-year-old victim says David Baldaino, 37, has terrorized her
The state is asking that a convicted sex offender who raped an 85-year-old neighbor at knifepoint be ordered to serve the full 30 years in prison before he can be eligible for parole.
David Baldaino, 37, appeared before the Hawaii Paroling Authority via video teleconference yesterday from Red Rock Correctional Center in Arizona. He is serving a 30-year term after pleading guilty to five counts, including first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
He asked the board to give him the chance to prove he is a changed man.
The victim, who was not present at the hearing, asked that the board order him to serve the maximum.
"I'm not present at this hearing because I still can't bear the thought of seeing you face to face even via TV camera, after your brutal, animal-like behavior," she said in a letter read by deputy prosecutor Lori Wada.
"I would only like to let you know that no matter how I try to avoid thinking of your actions, they are in my memory, and I relive on a daily basis the terror and pain I felt when you awakened me and threatened my life at knifepoint and viciously attacked me," she wrote.
Before the attack, the victim would often talk to Baldaino's wife and gave them fruit and vegetables from her yard.
DNA evidence obtained from the victim's bedding and nightgown was compared to DNA profiles from convicted felons here. Meanwhile, police learned that Baldaino was a convicted sex offender who lived in the neighborhood but who had not updated his address. He was arrested for violating sex offender registration requirements, and a sample of his blood was obtained. His DNA matched the DNA recovered at the rape scene.
The parole board is expected to issue a decision shortly on how long Baldaino must serve.