Surfer's killer gets 45 years in prison
WAILUKU -- The man convicted of killing big-wave surfer William Simpson Jr. was sentenced this morning to 45 years in prison.Maui Circuit Judge Boyd Mossman said he decided to impose a consecutive sentence for offenses because of Thomas S. Schillaci's record and the circumstances in which he shot Simpson to death.
Mossman noted Schillaci had been convicted on three separate occasions prior to the 1996 killing of Schillaci at an Olinda residence.
New leader to take over at Pearl Harbor base
Rear Adm. John W. Townes III was scheduled to take command of the Pearl Harbor Naval Base this afternoon at the Arizona Memorial Visitors Center.He will succeed Rear Adm. William Sutton, who moves to Norfolk, Va., to become commander of Amphibious Group Two.
CORRECTIONS
Paul Loo, senior vice president-Pacific for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, sees the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching 20,000 by the year 2008. A column by A.A. Smyser on Dec. 29 gave an incorrect year.
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Police, Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffHours after Chad Barboza fired a 12-gauge shotgun from his bedroom's jalousie window early Wednesday morning, he thought he had shot a 33-year-old Honolulu man, police said. POLICE
Mistaken identity apparent cause
By Jaymes K. Song, Star-Bulletin
of shotgun slaying early WednesdayBarboza's family and friends said the man had threatened and terrorized Barboza for two months and even killed his dog.
In reality, Barboza, 20, had killed his 31-year-old friend, Patrick Fuller of Waimanalo, in the state's first homicide of the year, police said.
"He didn't know (it was Fuller) until we told him," said homicide Lt. Allen Napoleon.
Yesterday, Barboza, of Kaneohe, was charged with second-degree murder. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Homicide detectives found out later Wednesday that the shooting victim wasn't the man Barboza reported he shot. Fuller and the Honolulu man look very similar and have very similar physical characteristics, police said.
When police arrived on scene, the "officers were summoned by a male admitting that he shot someone," according to a detective's report.
Husband arrested in assault on wife
Police yesterday arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly assaulting his wife with a glass bowl at their Nanakuli home.The suspect was booked for second-degree assault.
In other news . . .
THE COURTS
Soldier gets year in jail for drunk driving death
An Schofield Barracks soldier has apologized in court for being intoxicated and plowing into a parked car on the H-2 freeway in 1997 -- killing another soldier.Peter Savage told Circuit Judge Michael Town that he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since.
Town yesterday sentenced Peter Savage to five years probation for first-degree negligent homicide, said Deputy Prosecutor Russell Uehara.
The probation requires Savage to serve one year behind bars. He also received a year probation each on two misdemeanor counts of second-degree negligent homicide, to be served concurrently.
Savage had no criminal history until the crash on Aug. 10, 1997, and has been free on bail. He was discharged from the Army shortly after the incident.
Savage was driving alone back to Schofield Barracks when he crashed into a car occupied by four other Schofield soldiers. The car had pulled over to the shoulder to switch drivers.
Former gang member may face third trial
A former Waipahu gang member convicted of manslaughter may go to trial again -- for the third time.The first trial of Ropati Tauiliili -- accused of fatally shooting Robert Morris, 26, in Wahiawa -- ended in December 1997 with the jury deadlocked 6-6.
In the second trial, Tauiliili was found guilty last March and would have faced up to 20 years in prison when sentenced in May.
However, Circuit Court Judge Wilfred Watanabe found that a juror's introduction of outside material into the second trial's deliberations was prejudicial, said deputy public defender William Bagasol.
But Deputy Prosecutor Maurice Arrisgado intends to appeal the judge's ruling and said, "It's not over yet." Arrisgado said the court had no jurisdiction to grant the defense's motion for a new trial after denying an earlier request.
Cruise ships must follow ADA laws, judge rules
The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to cruise ships, U.S. District Judge Alan Kay has ruled.His decision, in a case brought by a disabled passenger against American Hawaii Cruises Inc., marks the first time the issue has been ruled upon in federal court and has broad implications for cruise lines everywhere.
Kay also ruled limitations written on passenger tickets do not invalidate state and federal laws regarding the civil rights of the disabled.
The case arose when Suzanne Deck took a seven-day interisland cruise after noting the cruise was advertised as accessible to disabled individuals. But she was made to feel unwelcome almost immediately after boarding and experienced other ill will because of her disability, she said.
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