A Kawaihae man who pleaded guilty to murdering Kona musician Robert Keawe Lopaka Ryder was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on Monday. ADVERTISING A Kawaihae man who pleaded guilty to murdering Kona musician Robert Keawe
A Kawaihae man who pleaded guilty to murdering Kona musician Robert Keawe Lopaka Ryder was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on Monday.
Martin Frank Booth, 56, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Oct. 15. In exchange for Booth’s guilty plea, prosecutors dropped an enhanced sentencing measure that would have denied him parole. The Hawaii Paroling Authority at a later date will make the final determination of when he will become eligible for parole.
Third Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Strance ordered the life sentenced be served concurrently to sentences handed down in three other unrelated cases, including a 20-year term for methamphetamine trafficking that requires Booth to remain behind bars for at least eight years. He must also pay $505 in fees.
Booth was indicted June 9 by a Kona grand jury on the single charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 37-year-old Ryder. His trial was slated to commence Nov. 25.
According to the June 9 indictment, prosecutors say Booth killed Ryder between Nov. 30 and Dec. 17, 2013. Ryder’s family reported Ryder missing Jan. 17. They had not heard from him since Thanksgiving, according to a Hawaii Police Department media statement.
Police located Ryder’s decomposing body in a lava field in South Kohala in March. He was found between Puako Beach Drive and Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
In March, the medical examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the manner of death was homicide, according to police.
Subscribers click here for more details, including comments that Ryder’s mother, Debra Ryder, made during the hearing.
