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Murderer gets 20 years in Waikiki man's death
A man who pleaded guilty to murdering longtime Honolulu Symphony volunteer Fred Cramer was sentenced today to life with parole and a mandatory minimum of 20 years as a repeat offender.Samuel Cooper Jr., 35, had just been released from prison four months earlier when he strangled Cramer at his Waikiki apartment in May 1999.
Prosecutors said they accepted a plea agreement to spare Cramer's family from the gruesome details of his death that would have come out at trial.
Cooper pleaded guilty because if he was convicted at trial, the state would have sought extended sentencing, deputy public defender Ronette Kawakami earlier said.
The Hawaii Paroling Authority in November ordered Cooper to spend 100 years behind bars before he can seek parole for the murder three months later of Keith Miyashiro.
Miyashiro, 49, was found bludgeoned to death in August 1999 at Waikiki Video Sales & Rental, where he worked. It was not until after Cooper was in custody for Miyashiro's murder that he was tied to Cramer's death.
The state had sought a long minimum term, calling Cooper a "predator" with no conscience.
That he killed two people within months of being released from prison on two other assault convictions shows Cooper has no regard for human life, deputy prosecutor Eric Sacks earlier said.
Kawakami could not be reached for immediate comment.
Standoff fugitive spotted downtown
Police were searching the downtown Nuuanu area today for fugitive Frank K. Chin after a reported sighting.Chin, 24, who is considered armed and dangerous, eluded police last Friday at a four-hour standoff at Nuuanu Garden Apartments at 1719 Nuuanu Ave.
His criminal history includes convictions for armed robbery, first-degree burglary and firearm, theft and drug offenses.
Info meeting planned on Kalanianaole work
The state Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting on Wednesday on whether work on an upcoming Kalanianaole Highway resurfacing and waterline project should take place at night.The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Kalani High School cafeteria at 4680 Kalanianaole Highway.
The meeting will provide the public with information about the advantages and disadvantages of implementing nighttime or daytime work hours, or a combination. Issues such as traffic, noise, lane closures, cost and safety will be discussed.
For additional information on the Kalanianaole Highway resurfacing and waterline project, go to the Web: www.state.hi.us/dot/publicaffairs/h-1corridor, or call the H-1 Hotline at 587-2345.
Parts of H-1 to close for repairs this week
Parts of the H-1 freeway will be closed for roadwork this week.At night through Thursday, the Department of Transportation is closing one lane of the H-1 Freeway at the Kapiolani Interchange for joint replacement work. Median lanes of the H-1 Freeway in both directions will be closed between Punahou Street and Ward Avenue between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for barrier work. Work is also taking place on the pedestrian overpass on Captain Cook and Magellan avenues.
During the day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Friday, work will take place on the University Avenue on-ramp and off-ramp. There will be lane closures around the Lunalilo off-ramp for electrical and waterline work. Detours are also scheduled between Alexander and McCully streets for Bingham Street paving work and ramp closures at the Kapiolani Interchange for paving work.
Hawaiian Homes scholarships available
Applications are now available for the Hawaiian Homes Commission scholarship, open to high school graduates with at least 50 percent Hawaiian blood. The applicants also must demonstrate financial need and be a classified undergraduate or graduate student or be a full-time student at an eligible post high school institution.Applications must be postmarked by March 1 and can be obtained by the calling the Hawaiian Home Lands offices on Oahu at 586-3836; Kauai 274-3131; Molokai 560-6104; Maui 984-2120; East Hawaii 974-4250, and West Hawaii 887-6053.
Big Isle farms, ranches may get federal aid
HILO -- Farms and ranches which suffered damage during the Big Island flooding of Nov. 2 may be eligible for federal assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program, the U.S. Farm Service Agency announced.The government will pay up to 64 percent of the cost of repairs, such as the removal of debris from farmland, grading of the land, restoring fences, and restoring conservation structures. To be eligible, no work can start until the agency reviews it. For more information, call 933-8340 in Hilo by Jan. 31.
Tomorrow
Some events of interest
7 p.m., Waikiki Community Center: Waikiki Neighborhood Board meeting.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Vandals set church fire, cause $7,000 damage
A Saturday night fire at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church Kailua that caused $7,000 damage was deliberately set by vandals, investigators said.Oil from a wall-mounted candle lamp was dumped on straw from a Nativity scene and set on fire, the fire department said. The fire spread to the church altar. A card table fronting the altar, floor tiles and drapes were also damaged.
Sunday services were held using the charred altar, said Senior Pastor Cass Bailey. "Prayers were said for the responsible person, that they might get the help they need," Bailey said.
An employee, who had gone to the church at 93 N. Kainalu Drive at 7 p.m. Saturday to prepare for yesterday's service, reported the fire, preventing further damage.
Bailey said the employee, who normally doesn't work Saturday evenings, "felt compelled to come to the church."
The koa wood altar may not be salvageable, he said. Nothing was reported stolen. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the case with fire and police since a church is involved.
Man, 70, arrested for abusing girlfriend, 40
A 70-year-old man was in police custody for allegedly abusing his 40-year-old girlfriend in his Waikiki apartment.The man was arrested without incident shortly before 10 p.m. yesterday in his second-floor apartment on the 1600 block of Kalakaua Avenue.
His girlfriend, 40, told police she was threatened with a machete and hammer by the suspect. She also alleges he threw a telephone at her, struck her with a bottle, pulled her hair, and punched and slapped her during an argument over dirty dishes in the sink, police said.
The woman suffered cuts and bruises but refused medical treatment, police said.
Stolen van, plates lead to arrest of McCully burglar
A "suspicious vehicle" complaint led police to a suspected burglar, who allegedly broke into at least one McCully area condominium unit last night.The vehicle turned out to be a stolen van, and the license plates on the vehicle were stolen from another vehicle, police said.
Police were trying today to determine if property in the van -- including two surfboards, several tool boxes and a 3-foot-long Polynesian club-like instrument -- is also stolen.
An Iwilei man, 31, and woman, 36, were arrested at 11:30 p.m. in front of Kapiolani Gardens condominium at 2439 Kapiolani Blvd. for auto theft.
The man was also arrested for burglary when a resident of the nearby Marco Polo building identified him as the intruder he discovered in the bedroom of his unit at about 9:30 p.m.
