Prosecutors have charged a convicted murderer for attempting to sexually assault a 40-year-old woman in a bathroom at the Queen Kaahumanu Center in Kahului.
Raymond Birano Jr., 58, made his initial court appearance Wednesday at Wailuku District Court after prosecutors recently charged him with kidnapping and attempted first- degree sex assault.
He is in custody at the Maui Community Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Police said a woman was walking to the women’s bathroom near the shopping center’s food court at approximately 2:30 p.m. Jan. 3 when a male suspect later identified as Birano grabbed her and forced her inside the stall of the men’s bathroom.
Birano allegedly wielded a knife and threatened to sexually assault her.
Police said the victim managed to push him away and ran out of the bathroom. She immediately notified mall security.
Birano fled the shopping center, but security guards captured him nearby and detained him until police arrived.
In 1979 Birano was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder in connection with the stabbing death of Clendes Fernandez, 21, on Maui.
On June 18, 1978, Birano stabbed Fernandez outside of Fernandez’s Kahului home when he intervened to protect his stepsister from Birano.
Fernandez’s stepsister was Birano’s girlfriend at the time. He was mad at her, but it was unclear why he was angry.
During the murder trial, Birano’s girlfriend testified that he was upset because he could not find a friend who had a gun he wanted, according to a March 1979 Honolulu Advertiser article.
Toni Schwartz, state Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, said Birano was paroled in February 2002 but returned to prison after he violated parole. “The parole board revoked his parole and ordered that he serve his maximum sentence.”
He was released from prison in 2011.
In addition to the murder conviction, Birano also was convicted of felony theft, escape, assault, promoting prison contraband, criminal property damage and auto theft.
