A Kunia family is disappointed with the verdict handed down for the man who shot up their home in 2016.
The incident happened almost two years ago to the day.
Scott Vidinha was acquitted of attempted murder. Instead, a judge found him guilty of attempted assault, reckless endangering, and firearms offenses.
Dawn Aglipay and her son, Pookela, now 18 years old, remember the incident like it was yesterday.
Dawn Aglipay says it started when Vidinha made sexual comments to Pookela Aglipay and his twin brother, both 17 at the time.
Vidinha said he was depressed.
The Aglipays called police, and Vidinha went to get a gun.
“I thought he came in the house and was looking for us at that moment. I thought, okay, he’s in the house. We’re going to die,” said Pookela Aglipay.
They hid in their bathroom while Vidinha opened fire with an AR-15, with Dawn Aglipay trying to protect her family.
“That’s what mothers do, try to provide the best atmosphere for them, that they shouldn’t have to go through this. No child should,” she said.
Vidinha was charged with attempted murder in the first and second degrees, reckless endangering, and firearms offenses. He was facing the possibility of life in prison without parole.
“He testified that he did not remember what had happened during this event,” said defense attorney William Harrison. “He had gone off his medication about three weeks prior to that event, and he had been drinking heavily the night before, and he didn’t remember at all what happened during the incident.”
In a non-jury trial last week, Judge Glenn Kim found Vidinha not guilty of attempted murder.
“He’s happy, because from day one, our position was that it was not an attempted murder first or an attempted murder second. At its worst, it was a reckless and possibly an attempted assault,” Harrison said.
Dawn Aglipay says she was “shocked. Just shocked.”
“I was so sad that not guilty would even be considered in this situation,” Pookela Aglipay added.
Vidinha has been in custody since the incident.
“I think it was an overcharged case on behalf of the state. I’m very happy the judge made his ruling basically found him not guilty of the more serious charges,” Harrison said.
When asked how the incident has affected him over the past two years, Pookela Aglipay replied, “PTSD is something I’ve been through. Whenever I hear a loud sound or just in general being scared, it’s really nerve-wracking to me.”
Vidinha will be sentenced in December. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
“I’m hoping he would get the full 20,” Dawn Aglipay said.
