KAILUA-KONA — A South Kona man convicted of killing his sister-in-law five years ago was recently denied parole.
KAILUA-KONA — A South Kona man convicted of killing his sister-in-law five years ago was recently denied parole.
The Hawaii Paroling Authority on Friday denied James Abernethy’s application for parole following a hearing held that day. The decision is the third time the authority has denied parole for Abernethy, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to manslaughter and assault. He tried unsuccessfully to gain parole in June 2015 and May of this year.
Toni Schwartz, with the state Department of Public Safety, under which the authority falls, did not provide any specific details on the denial, but said the authority recommended “he participate in and complete various programs while incarcerated.”
His next parole hearing is scheduled for November 2017, she said.
Abernethy remains incarcerated at Saguaro Correction Center in Arizona. Unless paroled, his scheduled date of release is Aug. 6, 2028.
Abernethy was sentenced in June 2011 by then-3rd Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Strance to concurrent sentences of up to 20 years for manslaughter and five years for assault. Abernethy has been incarcerated since his August 2008 arrest.
Abernethy and his wife, Linda Vickers, had been separated but not divorced when Abernethy fatally stabbed his sister-in-law, Victoria Vickers at their Kona Paradise home. The two had been arguing when Abernethy got a knife and stabbed Victoria Vickers in the neck. He also stabbed Linda Vickers in the hand.