Man gets life in prison for beating girlfriend with a hammer

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    Honolulu (KITV) — A 33-year-old man who was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder for beating his girlfriend with a hammer in 2018 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In February 2020, a jury found that Kristopher Kalani qualified as a persistent offender as he had been convicted of two or more felonies in the past — including first-degree assault and first-degree assault against a law enforcement officer.

“As a persistent offender, the jury found that an extended term of imprisonment was necessary to protect the public,” court documents show. “The jury also found that Kalani qualified for repeated offender status because he committed his crime within 10 years of his conviction for assault in the first degree.”

In court Monday, the judge also imposed a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

“Kalani’s sentence of life without the possibility of parole is in accord with the egregiousness of his crime,” said Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm. “As a repeat offender, this sentence was the only way to assure that the public is kept safe from this individual,” he continued. “His victim’s life has been irreversibly harmed by this heinous crime, and we can only hope that this sentence provides her with some measure of closure,” he said.

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