CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Punchbowl resident Eric Kawamoto gave city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle a hug yesterday in court. Miti Maugaotega was convicted of second-degree attempted murder yesterday for shooting Kawamoto in his home.
Convict might admit
more violent crimesThe 18-year-old man was found
guilty in the Punchbowl shooting
An 18-year-old man convicted of second-degree attempted murder yesterday for shooting a Punchbowl homeowner is expected to admit next week he committed four additional home burglaries.
Miti Maugaotega was indicted in December on 12 counts stemming from four separate burglaries that occurred before the June 26 shooting. He also was charged with promoting prison contraband for bringing a makeshift knife into the Kailua youth correctional facility last fall.
Maugaotega was found guilty yesterday of nine counts, including shooting Eric Kawamoto after breaking into Kawamoto's Puowaina Drive home and robbing him.
The December charges include the sexual assault of a 57-year-old Ala Moana woman three days before he broke into the Kawamoto home.
Maugaotega is accused of breaking into the woman's Kanunu Street apartment while armed with a semiautomatic weapon. He allegedly rummaged through her dresser, woke her up, demanded money and then sexually assaulted her, police said.
Maugaotega is also charged with three counts of first-degree burglary for breaking into three Waikahalulu Lane homes on May 23, May 28 and June 16.
In the June 16 break-in, he is also charged with first-degree robbery and firearm offenses for threatening a couple with a semiautomatic weapon.
Maugaotega, who turned 18 in September, waived his right to be tried as a minor on the additional charges.
Prosecutors say the additional charges could net Miti an even stiffer sentence. "His life, for all intents and purposes, is over for decades to come," said city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle.
When sentenced May 11, Maugaotega faces life imprisonment with the possibility of parole for shooting Kawamoto and, for using a semiautomatic handgun, a mandatory minimum of 20 years.
Carlisle said yesterday he intends to seek extended sentences -- to a life term from 20 years for the robbery conviction and to 20 years from 10 years for the burglary.
Carlisle is also expected to ask that Maugaotega's sentence for the four burglaries be served after he finishes his sentence in the Kawamoto shooting.
Because of the severity of the potential sentence, deputy public defender Walter Rodby said they have no choice but to appeal.
"He will be spending the rest of his life in prison, and he is entitled to an appeal," Rodby said.
One issue Rodby expects to raise is the court's decision to provide the jury with evidence during their deliberations.
Although told early on that transcripts were not going to be provided, jurors requested transcripts of Kawamoto's and Maugaotega's testimony.
"I objected not only because they were provided with evidence during deliberations, but because particular portions of the evidence were provided," Rodby said.
On Monday, Circuit Judge Milks had the court reporter transcribe and read back to the jury portions of the testimony Kawamoto and Maugaotega gave describing what occurred in the house and during the confrontation.
After given the day off Tuesday, the jury resumed deliberations yesterday and returned with a verdict on the attempted murder and a firearm charge about half an hour later. They had reached guilty verdicts on the remaining seven counts -- firearm and drug offenses -- on Friday.
Although Maugaotega was 17 at the time of the offense, he does not qualify for sentencing as a youthful offender, which would carry a maximum eight-year term. Youthful offender sentencing does not apply to murder or attempted murder.
Carlisle said Maugaotega's case is emblematic of the increasing problem with crystal methamphetamine users who commit property crimes.
