HONOLULU (KHON2) — Retired Police Chief Louis Kealoha has filed for divorce against his wife, Katherine, a former deputy prosecutor.
Louis’ attorney, Rustam Barbee said divorce papers were filed Tuesday afternoon, October 15. The couple was convicted in June of corruption and obstruction of justice.
Katherine has been in custody at the Federal Detention Center since the conviction. Louis has been out on bail.
Katherine’s attorney Earle Partington said he was meeting with her Tuesday night to let her know the news.
Legal expert Doug Chin said a potential divorce could bring a whole new twist to the case.
“There are different impacts that can happen once people are no longer married to each other. They might be more willing to testify against each other,” said Doug Chin, a legal expert.
He said this could also present more favorable options for Louis.
“The other thing is that because in the general sense, witnesses are now able to testify against a spouse that they’ve divorced from, then he would be able to assert defenses that he didn’t have before,” said Chin.
Louis and Katherine Kealoha’s sentencing for their first trial will be on Oct. 31. They are also scheduled to go on trial in January for bank fraud and identity theft.
