Man gets 41 months for assaulting wife at Haleakala campgrounds

A man convicted of assaulting his wife while camping at Haleakala National Park last year has been sentenced to nearly three and a half years in prison.

Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway handed the 41-month sentence to Matthew Berckmann, 44, on Tuesday after a jury trial in April found him guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault of his spouse by strangulation. Following his incarceration, Berckmann must remain on supervised release for three years.

The incident occurred Oct. 18, 2017, at Hosmer Grove Campground at Haleakala National Park, when Berckmann threatened his wife with a large kitchen knife while pinning her to the ground by holding his forearm against her throat, according to U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price. Two eyewitnesses witnessed the assault and contacted 911.

Berckmann was taken into custody by a park ranger, with the help of two Maui Police Department officers.

Since the U.S. has jurisdiction for crimes committed within national parks, the case was prosecuted in federal court. The investigation was led by the National Park Service, with assistance from the FBI and Maui Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Albanese and Marion Percell handled the prosecution.