Wayne Anchetta was framed behind the gestures of defense attorney Emmanuel Guerrero before hearing his sentence yesterday for sexual assault against his girlfriend.
Sex assault gets
Palolo man 30 yearsThe defense claims that physical
abuse was consensual sex
A 25-year-old Palolo man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison for what the prosecution called "physically, mentally and sexually" abusing his girlfriend for several hours last August.
CORRECTION
Thursday, May 27, 2004Wayne Ancheta was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting his girlfriend last year. In a photo caption on Page A4 in yesterday's early edition, his last name was misspelled as Anchetta.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.
Wayne Ancheta was convicted by an Oahu jury in January on eight counts, including first- and second-degree sexual assault, abuse of a family member and first-degree terroristic threatening.
Deputy Prosecutor Myron Takemoto asked Circuit Judge Patrick Border for life in prison for the first-degree sexual assault and extended sentences on several other counts. He cited the "atrocious, vicious and cruel nature of the offenses" and Ancheta's criminal history.
"I felt that if any defendant deserved a life term and extended (prison) term it was this defendant," said Takemoto. "His conduct was heinous and outrageous and he has a track record of violence and is clearly a danger to the community."
Ancheta was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault and a total of 10 years for the other counts. As a repeat offender, he will serve a mandatory minimum sentence of about 10 years.
Ancheta admitted that he did abuse his girlfriend but that the rough sex was consensual.
Leaving the courthouse, Ancheta's defense attorney, Emmanuel G. Guerrero, said of the verdict: "Basically, if two consenting adults are in the privacy of their own room, they can do whatever they want."
According to Takemoto's sentencing memo filed with the court, Ancheta became upset with his girlfriend because she didn't delete e-mails from the computer.
Takemoto alleged a rampage that lasted several hours began when Ancheta punched his girlfriend in the stomach, called her a liar and dragged her by her hair from the bedroom to the living room several times.
The prosecution's sentencing document also said: Ancheta threatened to torture her with an Exacto knife. He poured nail polish remover onto her foot and lighted it. He poured nail polish remover on her back and legs but then allowed her to shower it off. He forced her to have sex.
The two went to the beach and he drank a six-pack of beer. At home that night, he hit her on the head 25 times with a hairbrush before sexually assaulting her with it.
The prosecution alleged Ancheta told his girlfriend: "You know how easy it is to kill you right now? I can choke you and put you in the closet for weeks and nobody (is) going (to) know."
Takemoto alleged Ancheta then choked her. She passed out and woke up in the closet. He beat her with the hair brush again and then tightened a rope around her neck.
