Slain girl’s father The father of a 6-year-old Big Island girl who was raped and killed wants a conviction for a 14-year-old neighborhood boy arrested and charged in the crime.
says he wants
justice done
A suspect, 14, has been charged
with second-degree
murder and sexual assaultBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com"I'm pretty much sure if they arrested and charged somebody, they probably have enough to convict him," George Tadeo said yesterday in a telephone interview.
"If he can do this crime, he can do the time," Tadeo said.
Hilo police charged the 14-year-old youth at 10:45 p.m. Saturday with second-degree murder and two counts of sexual assault in the death of Kauilani Tadeo. The teenager lives in the same Hawaiian Beaches subdivision as the Tadeo family.
The girl's body was found a few hundred feet away from her home in a vacant house on Opihi Street in the Puna district south of Hilo.
The first-grader had last been seen playing in her yard. Her parents noticed she was missing at about 4 p.m. Thursday and called police when she did not come home for dinner at 6 p.m.
An autopsy revealed the child died from a blow to the head with a blunt object, authorities said.
Detective Andrew Burian said police were able to charge the teen based on information received from neighbors and other evidence, on which he would not elaborate.
The suspect was turned over to family court for secure detention, police said. Because the suspect is a juvenile, police would not release his name, which state law prevents.The 14-year-old could be charged as an adult if family court waives its jurisdiction over the case, which is fairly common, said criminal justice expert Rick Castberg, political science professor with the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
If the 14-year-old suspect in this case is tried and convicted of second-degree murder as an adult, he faces a maximum of life with the possibility of parole, Castberg said.
If, however, the boy is tried and found guilty as a juvenile, the maximum incarceration time would be until age 19, and he could be released in five years.
Tadeo said he had no idea who the suspect might be.
"I never known of any bad kids in my area," he said. "All good kids played on our street in front of our houses. Just out of the blue these things happened.
"Deep in my heart, I know my daughter is in a safe place now, but I just want justice to be done."
Tadeo said he feels a bit relieved knowing a suspect is in police custody. He said his family has been living in fear since his daughter's murder. He and his wife have not allowed their two sons, ages 2 and 5, to play outside in what they had considered a safe neighborhood.
The couple have explained to their boys what happened to their sister, saying it would be unfair for them to find out from someone else.
Tadeo hopes to have child counselors talk to his sons and other children in the neighborhood affected by the tragedy.
He described his daughter as a sweet and friendly child with lots of friends everywhere.
Tadeo said his wife, Tumata, has been devastated by what happened to their daughter.
He said it was difficult to talk about such a heinous crime.
"I don't know why the guy think about that, to do that to my daughter," he said. "She's so innocent."
Tadeo said yesterday the family would make funeral arrangements today.
"It's a sad thing and we feel so hurt," he said. "I wanted her to grow up to be somebody."
Residents of Hawaiian Beaches said they were shocked and saddened with the news of the slaying.
In a small neighborhood, "it hits pretty hard," said Kealoha Hanato, 53. "I was really in shock when I read the paper in Honolulu. I live so close to Opihi Street, just three streets away."
Hanato has lived there for 30 years, and her daughter went to school with George Tadeo.
She is concerned for the safety of her grandchildren, ages 3 and 6, who live with her.
A close friend of the Tadeos, who asked not to be named, said she refuses to allow her 11-year-old daughter to play outside unless she is outside with her.
"You don't know who to trust now," she said.
Jayna Florendo, 20, who grew up in the neighborhood, lamented how it no longer feels safe.
"I'm scared. It's so different now," she said. Her young nieces, nephews and cousins "can't go out and play like we used to."
Meanwhile, Florendo and other Hawaiian Beaches residents are calling for the 14-year-old to be charged as an adult.
"He did an adult thing, and he should take responsibility for what he did," Florendo said. "It's just a bad situation in a small town."