A Honolulu man has been ordered to spend 15 years in prison for a crash that killed a mother and her 7-year-old daughter in Nānākuli, closing a long-running case that dates back to the Feb. 26, 2022 wreck.
Circuit Court Judge Kevin A. Souza on Thursday handed down two 10-year terms for first-degree negligent homicide to run concurrently and a five-year term for first-degree negligent injury to run consecutively, for an effective 15-year sentence, according to Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The judge also ordered the defendant to pay $23,907.80 in restitution and credited him for time already served at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, the report said.
The crash happened late on Feb. 26, 2022, when prosecutors say the driver, identified as Joseph Peters-Holokahi, slammed into a parked vehicle on Haleakala Avenue in front of a Nānākuli home, killing 38-year-old Kelsey Palisbo and her daughter Leah, 7, and critically injuring Palisbo’s older daughter, then 17, Shaylee. Police investigators at the time said speed and alcohol appeared to be contributing factors, according to Hawaii News Now.
As part of a plea agreement, Peters-Holokahi pleaded guilty to two amended counts of first-degree negligent homicide and one count of first-degree negligent injury, and prosecutors agreed not to pursue three additional collision charges, according to Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The original manslaughter counts carried a potential sentence of up to 20 years under Hawaii law, according to the state code at Hawaii Revised Statutes.
The crash shocked the tight-knit Nānākuli community, which gathered at roadside memorials after the wreck and has repeatedly urged tougher enforcement of reckless and intoxicated driving. Court records and earlier coverage also show Peters-Holokahi had multiple speeding citations before the crash, including a recorded 105 mph stop in a 45 mph zone, according to Hawaii News Now.
What the Plea Means
Negligent homicide in the first degree is generally a class B felony with a statutory maximum of 10 years for each count, while manslaughter carries higher exposure; judges can stack sentences or run them concurrently, which is why the choice to run the negligent-injury term consecutive resulted in a 15-year total. The plea spared the state and family a trial but narrowed penalties to the amended counts and statutory maximums outlined in Chapter 707 of the Hawaii code, per Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Peters-Holokahi was credited for the time he spent at the Oahu Community Correctional Center and will remain in custody while arrangements are completed to carry out the sentence. Family members have said the punishment cannot undo their loss, but prosecutors described the sentence as accountability for reckless driving that killed two people.
