A circuit judge scheduled a jury trial for a 40-year-old man who was charged with murder in the death of his 18-month-old daughter,
Kytana Ancog.
Travis Rodrigues appeared at his arraignment Thursday morning before Judge Shirley Kawamura at Circuit Court via video-
conference from the Halawa Correctional Facility on a second-
degree murder charge.
Rodrigues’ court-appointed
attorney, Walter Rodby, entered
a not-guilty plea on Rodrigues’
behalf.
Kawamura scheduled his trial to begin the week of May 17.
After the hearing ended, Rodby declined to comment on the charges. Rodrigues remains in custody at Halawa in lieu of $2 million bail.
Police said in court documents that Rodrigues confessed to hitting and shaking Ancog on or about Feb. 4 and made arrangements to dispose of her body.
The toddler was last seen
Jan. 31 after the baby’s mother dropped her off with Rodrigues at a home in Aiea.
Police said Ancog became unconscious and appeared lifeless
after Rodrigues hit and shook her and squeezed her against his chest. Court documents said he allegedly wrapped her in a bedsheet and placed her body in a duffel bag.
An acquaintance, Scott Michael Carter, dropped him off at another acquaintance’s home while the duffel bag was left in the vehicle. According to charging documents, Carter, 48, allegedly told Rodrigues, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”
Police said Ancog’s body has not been located.
Carter has been charged with hindering prosecution in the case. He is in custody at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $250,000 bail pending his trial, to be held in April.
In the latter part of February, authorities transferred Rodrigues to Halawa from OCCC “due to the high-profile nature of the alleged crime, and required hold in a higher-security institution,” according to a spokeswoman with the state Department of Public Safety.
Halawa is a medium-security facility whereas OCCC is a minimum-
security facility.
