On Friday, the driver accused in the 2023 hit-and-run that killed McKinley High student Sara Yara pleaded no contest in Honolulu District Court. Mitchel Miyashiro, 48, entered no-contest pleas to first-degree negligent homicide and several related collision counts, and a judge set sentencing for Oct. 1, 2026. The plea brings the criminal case into its final phase, leaving Yara’s family and safety advocates focused on what is expected to be a high-stakes sentencing hearing.
Plea details and prosecutor response
As reported by Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Miyashiro pleaded no contest to first-degree negligent homicide, collisions involving death or serious bodily injury, collisions involving bodily injury and driving without a license. Prosecutors say he fled the scene, failed to render aid and misled investigators by claiming his truck had been stolen. The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney has said it intends to seek the maximum sentence allowed under Kaulana’s Law. The plea was entered in open court, and the case is now set to return to the judge for sentencing in October.
The crash and victims
On Feb. 15, 2023, Yara, then 16, and a 17-year-old friend were struck while crossing Kapiolani Boulevard at Kamakee Street on their way to McKinley High. Yara died from her injuries, and her friend was also hurt. The teens were in a marked crosswalk when the pickup hit them, a detail that deepened public anger and grief and helped fuel calls for safer school crossings. As reported by Hawaii News Now.
Driver's record
Court filings and earlier reporting show Miyashiro had a lengthy history of traffic citations, a record that officials have pointed to in arguing for tougher enforcement of driving-without-a-license violations. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser previously reported he had about 164 prior traffic citations and had faced repeated charges for driving without a license in recent years. As reported by Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Community reaction and safety fixes
Yara’s mother, classmates and local advocates have kept steady pressure on officials through memorials, fundraising and sign-waving events while pushing for safer streets near McKinley. Within weeks of the crash, the state and city installed speed humps, activated a red-light camera and pursued other traffic-calming measures at the Kapiolani-Kamakee intersection, steps that officials say were expedited after the public outcry. As reported by Spectrum News Hawaii.
Legal stakes
Kaulana’s Law, passed after a prior high-profile hit-and-run, allows judges to seek enhanced sentences for negligent homicide when a driver fails to render aid, which can increase the potential maximum term to roughly 20 years in certain cases. Whether that enhancement is applied will be the central legal question at the October hearing, and prosecutors have signaled they will press for the heaviest possible penalty. As outlined by Honolulu Civil Beat.
With the no-contest pleas now on the record, the focus turns to sentencing and whether the court will impose the enhanced punishment prosecutors are seeking. Yara’s family and community advocates say the case underscores ongoing concerns about unlicensed drivers and pedestrian safety on routes to Honolulu schools.
