The family of Kaulana Werner waited more than three years to get justice. And the jury delivered it Thursday after deliberating less than two hours, finding Miyisha Lee Armitage guilty for his death.
It was an emotional day for the Werners who now say they can finally move on and let Kaulana rest in peace.
Tears of relief in the gallery from those who had been hoping for this outcome. It was back in April 2016 when 19-year-old Kaulana Werner was struck by a car while walking on Farrington Highway on his way home in Nanakuli. He wound up dying in his father’s arms.
“Now now me and mom can move on. I got my new grandson in his name sake and we’re always gonna remind him how great his uncle was, what a lovable guy he was,” said Edward Werner, Kaulana’s father.
Armitage testified on the stand Wednesday that she had blacked out when her car hit something but she didn’t know what it was. That apparently was not enough to sway the jurors.
Throughout the trial the Werner family carried a wooden box with Kaulana’s ashes.
“Now it’s time for us to release him and set him free. He was always an ocean man and now we got justice and it’s time to let him go,” said Werner.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 1. Armitage remains free on bail but the judge has ordered her to be placed on curfew between nine p.m. and six a.m.
