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Convicted murderer faces attempted murder charge

Nelson Daranciang

 

A convicted murderer who is already serving a 30 years-to-life prison sentence is facing a new charge that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life with no opportunity for parole.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Daniel Kahanaoi with attempted first-degree murder for allegedly trying to kill a prison guard.

Honolulu police said Kahanaoi, 46, was in custody at Oahu Community Correctional Center on Feb. 24 when he stabbed the state adult correctional officer.

Then-state Department of Public Safety Director Clayton Frank said the 52-year-old correctional sergeant was working at a control station when Kahanaoi approached him and stabbed him in the arm, head and neck with a shank. The sergeant went to a hospital on his own and returned to work the following day, Frank said.

A state jury found Kahanaoi guilty in July of second-degree murder and first-degree burglary in the April 2009 shooting death of Kailua lawyer Craig Kimsel in Kimsel’s own home.

A state judge sentenced Kahanaoi to the mandatory life prison term with the opportunity for parole for the murder plus 20 years for the burglary. The judge also ordered Kahanaoi to serve at least 30 years of his prison sentence before he can seek release on parole because he used a semiautomatic firearm during both crimes.

The Hawaii Paroling Authority can set a minimum longer than 30 years. It has scheduled a hearing for Jan. 10.

Kahanaoi is also awaiting sentencing for using a firearm to threaten one of his Waimanalo neighbors 11 days before he killed Kimsel and a new trial for threatening three others in the same incident.

 

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