KAILUA-KONA — A 17-year-old boy is facing 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in 3rd Circuit Court for crimes committed during a 2016 rape at Old Kona Airport Park.
Tyron Sigrah appeared before Judge Robert D.S. Kim on Monday and pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault, second-degree assault, kidnapping and second-degree robbery.
In return for the guilty plea, the state will dismiss four remaining sexual assault and terroristic threatening charges. The Hawaii County Prosecutor’s Office recommends that the charges be served concurrently, or simultaneously.
According to the plea agreement, Sigrah may argue for youthful offender status, which allows an incarceration period of eight years instead of 20 years. On Monday, the teen’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Wendy DeWeese, said she intends to argue for such status.
Sentencing in Sigrah’s case is scheduled for Sept. 18.
Sigrah was one of two teens allegedly involved in the attack that occurred on Sept. 3, 2016, at the Old Kona Airport Park’s soccer field, just north of the Kona Community Aquatics Center.
The second suspect was identified in January as Samuel Latrik after a grand jury indicted the 18-year-old on three counts of first-degree sexual assault, second-degree assault, kidnapping, second-degree robbery, third-degree sexual assault and first-degree attempted sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is awaiting trial.
Prosecutors alleged that Sigrah, who was 15 at the time, and Latrik, who was 17 at the time, held the woman against her will, beat her and took turns raping her. The attack only stopped after a Good Samaritan passing by chased the boys off.
The victim was taken to Kona Community Hospital where she was treated for a broken nose, an exasperated back injury and badly bruised ribs.
Sigrah’s case was originally filed in juvenile court last August or September, however, Hawaii County Deputy Prosecutor Sherri Lawson filed for and was granted a waiver of jurisdiction to move the case to District Court where the teen would be tried as an adult.
Sigrah appeared before District Court Judge Margaret Masunaga on Nov. 29 for a preliminary hearing. During the hearing, the female victim took the stand and testified about what happened her the night she was sexually assaulted.
“It seemed like I was really fighting for my life,” she told the court during the November hearing.
Since Latrik was a juvenile at the time charges were brought against him, Lawson filed the case in juvenile court and again asked for a waiver of jurisdiction. That waiver was also granted and his case went straight to 3rd Circuit Court because of the grand jury indictment.
Latrik is scheduled for a jury trial on Oct. 23.