Waianae man found guilty in death of tot

After deliberating for less than a full day, a state jury Tuesday found a Waianae man guilty of manslaughter in the October 2014 child abuse death of his then-girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter.

Joshua Kalili, 27, went to trial last week for the murder of Styzilee Reyes, who died Oct. 21, 2014.

After the state’s last witness testified Monday, state Circuit Judge Glenn Kim ruled that the prosecutor did not present the jury with sufficient evidence to support a murder charge. He then instructed jurors to instead consider manslaughter during their deliberations.

The Honolulu medical examiner said Reyes died from blunt impact to her abdomen with intestinal lacerations.

On the day of her death, Kalili had stayed home from work and was the only adult with the child in the 3-1/2 hours before he took her to the emergency room at Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, where she died.

Deputy Prosecutor Kelsi Guerra told the jury that the cuts to the child’s intestines are not common childhood injuries and that they had occurred within hours of her death.

“I do think that there was no doubt as to who caused the injuries. It was clear that (Reyes) was without injuries when her mom left the house to go to work,” Guerra said after hearing the verdict.

The girl’s mother has since married Kalili.

Defense lawyer Randall Hironaka told the jury that Kalili took Styzilee Reyes to the emergency room after finding her on the floor of the bathroom, complaining of stomach pain, and that it appeared she had fallen from a stool she used to reach the sink. Hironaka also told the jurors that at least nine days before the death, the girl had been exhibiting signs of internal injury that someone other than Kalili could have caused and that the fall could have exacerbated her condition.

Kalili did not take the witness stand in his own defense. He faces a mandatory 20-year prison term at sentencing in November. The only other possible sentence for him under state law is probation for 10 years including up to two years behind bars.

“I think the evidence shows that if anybody’s going to get manslaughter probation, it’s gotta be this case,” Hironaka said.

Guerra said she will ask for the 20-year prison term.