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A 35-year-old man was convicted of murder for the unprovoked 2018 stabbing death of a man who was sheltering at the Nuuanu YMCA, Prosecuting Attorney Steven S. Alm announced Friday.
Robert A.C. Midel was found guilty of a single count of second-degree murder Friday by an Oahu circuit judge. Midel faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without
the possibility of parole
in connection with the death of 35-year-old Ryan Cavalear, who was stabbed repeatedly.
“The Department is pleased with the verdict and we hope that it brings some comfort to Mr. Cavalear’s family,” said Alm in a news release. “We are grateful to our partners in the Honolulu Police Department who thoroughly investigated this matter. Because of the mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole, the public will be safe from Midel for many years to come.”
Midel will be sentenced Sept. 15.
On Aug. 18, 2018, Cavalear had showered and was walking back to his room when Midel approached him and said, “Eh, you dancing, ah,” to which the man replied he was not. A fight broke out between the two.
A man who witnessed the attack told police that as the victim lay unconscious and bleeding, Midel said, “Everybody were magical,” and “Still alive,” before stabbing the victim in the neck, according to court documents.
Midel then told the witness, “Eh, no say nothing, eh,” before leaving the scene.
Three days before the stabbing, a shopper at the Ross Dress for Less in the Windward City Shopping Center recorded cellphone video of Midel in the store holding a knife. Police did not arrest Midel, but said they took an “agitated male” to a hospital for evaluation.
At the time of his arrest, Midel was on probation for felony attempted burglary and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.
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