A 62-year-old Naalehu woman convicted Dec. 22 of second-degree murder in the June 30, 2009, shooting death of Kaycee Smith, a 21-year-old rodeo standout, was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole and an additional 20 years.
Hilo Circuit Judge Henry Nakamoto also sentenced Patricia Wong, also known as Patricia Hanoa, to life in prison with the possibility of parole for second-degree attempted murder; second-degree conspiracy to commit murder, 20 years; and two counts of criminal solicitation, 20 years each.
The judge ordered the two life sentences with the possibility of parole to be served concurrently, and the three 20-year sentences to be served concurrently for a total of 20 years. But he ordered that the 62-year-old will serve the life sentence consecutively with the
20-year sentence.
After being out on bail for the past 14 years, Wong was immediately taken into custody following the sentence.
A Hilo Circuit Court jury found she also had solicited the help of Peter Fuerte and Smith’s former boyfriend to kill her, although Smith’s ex-boyfriend did not go along with the plot.
Fuerte took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to first-degree hindering
prosecution, and was sentenced Feb. 15 to five years’ imprisonment.
Smith had inherited a large sum of money from her father.
In January 2009 a joint bank account was opened with $3,500 of Wong’s money and $91,000 of Smith’s money, Deputy Prosecutor Annaliese Wolf said.
Smith’s body was found in June 2009 at her Orchidland Estates home in Puna. She died of a single gunshot wound to the head.
Wong was the last person to see Smith alive.
Fuerte testified he
helped get a gun for Wong and saw her take the firearm and enter Smith’s car
in June 2009 in Waimea. That was the basis for
the attempted murder. Fuerte took back the gun, which was not used to kill Smith.
He said he ended his association with Wong.
Wong canceled the debit card for the joint account days before Smith’s death and had new ones sent to her post office box.
She legally inherited the remainder of the money, $35,000, by right of survivorship but claimed she would return it to Smith’s family, which she never did.
Police turned over the case to the prosecutor’s office in 2009, but Wong was not charged for seven years until June 2016.
