A Hilo grand jury has indicted a 19-year-old Kurtistown man for the Dec. 28 slaying of a 44-year-old Hawaiian Acres man at the victim’s home. A Hilo grand jury has indicted a 19-year-old Kurtistown man for the Dec. 28 slaying
A Hilo grand jury has indicted a 19-year-old Kurtistown man for the Dec. 28 slaying of a 44-year-old Hawaiian Acres man at the victim’s home.
The six-count indictment dated Jan. 13 charges Kawena Krause with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, second-degree theft and use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony. The sixth count seeks an extended term of imprisonment of life in prison without the possibility of parole “for the protection of the public.” The document also alleges “the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity.”
“There’s two ways we’re going for an extended sentence in this case,” Deputy Prosecutor Mike Kagami said Monday. “We’re going with heinous.”
Second-degree murder usually carries a mandatory sentence of life with the possibility of parole, while use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony is a Class A felony punishable by a 20-year prison term.
Krause and his 30-year-old cousin, Claude Keone Krause, are accused of the shooting and strangulation death of Dante Peter Gilman. Police say the elder Krause shot Gilman during a Dec. 28 robbery, and the younger Krause then choked the man until he was lifeless. Kagami said the allegation of the murder being especially heinous is “because of the choking.”
