Waikiki man, 23, gets life sentence in stabbing death of visitor

An Oahu circuit court judge sentenced a 23-year-old Waikiki man today to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole in the June, 1, 2021 stabbing death of Elian Delacerda, a 19-year-old California visitor at Kuhio Beach Park.

Circuit Judge Ronald Johnson also sentenced Oscar Cardona Jr. to five years in prison, to run simultaneously with the life sentence, for possession of cocaine at the time of the stabbing, which was not disclosed to jurors. He was not charged on the drug charges until July 14, 2022.

The judge heard the emotional testimonies of both Delacerda’s mother and stepmother by Zoom as well as Cardona’s mother who appeared in court, along with his hanai sister, a longtime friend, and his doctor, who served as his counselor.

He also ordered Cardona to pay restitution in the amount of $14,916.94 to Juan Delacerda, the victim’s father, and $4,000 to the Crime Victim Compensation Commission.

In his testimony at trial, Oscar Cardona Jr. said he simply held out his knife but did not stab Delacerda five times during a fight involving multiple people, and instead claimed Delacerda was attacking him and may have stabbed himself.

The jury found Cardona guilty of second-degree murder, and also rejected his lawyer’s theory that a nurse giving Delacerda CPR caused his death, and not the knife wound that pierced his heart, which the Medical Examiner’s Office determined to be the cause.

Deputy Prosecutor Franklin Don Paccaro said Cardona was the only one, who was armed with a weapon.

Cardona was called by his roommate, who met some women at the beach, to help him during an encounter with some California visitors, one of whom allegedly called the roommate the “N” word.

Cardona arrived on his bicycle with a knife, and fled the scene as Delacerda was dying.