Convict admits to robbery,
burglary and sex assault
An 18-year-old man convicted last week of shooting a Punchbowl resident during a burglary admitted to four other burglaries yesterday, including one where he sexually assaulted a 57-year-old woman.
Miti Maugaotega pleaded no contest in Circuit Court to 13 counts, including first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and first-degree sexual assault.
He also pleaded no contest to bringing a homemade weapon into the Hawaii Youth Correctional facility in Kailua where he was temporarily held earlier this year.
In a June 23 burglary, a 57-year-old Kanunu Street woman awoke to find an intruder going through her dresser. When she told him to get out, he pointed a gun at her and ordered her to give him money. After she complied, he sexually assault her.
Maugaotega, who was arrested June 26 after shooting Puowaina Drive resident Eric Kawamoto, admitted he broke into the woman's apartment looking for money to buy drugs and so he could stay at the Pagoda Hotel, city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said yesterday.
Maugaotega also admitted to sexually assaulting the woman and later hitting her on the head with the gun when she tried to flee. He also said he felt bad for assaulting her, Carlisle said. Maugaotega told police he had obtained the gun in another burglary.
Carlisle said yesterday he will ask that the court double Maugaotega's sentences in the burglaries and that they be served after he serves his term for shooting Kawamoto, who was critically injured. Maugaotega faces life imprisonment with the possibility of parole for the shooting.
Two of three break-ins on Waikahalulu Lane in Nuuanu were traced to Maugaotega from fingerprints.
He was also identified in a June 16 burglary at another Waikahalulu Lane home where an intruder jumped from the roof of the home and through a window, surprising the couple inside. Armed with a gun, the intruder demanded money, jewelry and other items before fleeing.
Maugaotega will be sentenced May 11 on all the charges, including the Kawamoto shooting. He faces prison terms ranging from five years to a maximum 20 years for the other charges.
Deputy public defender Walter Rodby indicated earlier that they expect to appeal because of the potentially severe sentence Maugaotega is expected to receive.