A 34-year-old woman charged in the home invasion of an 81-year-old man’s Hilo apartment last month admitted she participated in the robbery, according to court documents filed by police.
Christal Darlene Letizia was arrested early Monday morning after a traffic stop on Kanoelehua Avenue near Kekuanaoa Street. She was charged Tuesday with being an accomplice to armed robbery, burglary and theft, plus carrying a deadly weapon, possession of a butterfly knife, methamphetamine possession and drug paraphernalia.
Her bail was set at $25,500.
According to documents, Letizia and an unnamed male suspect entered Earl Duty’s Haili Street apartment. Duty reportedly told officers that Letizia, an acquaintance, unlawfully entered his home and took two cellphones.
Shortly thereafter, the accomplice also entered the apartment, brandished a knife and threatened Duty, documents state. The man reportedly took cash, hunting knives, two black-powder rifles and a black-powder pistol. Duty told police the firearms, all antique, were operable.
A neighbor identified Letizia from a photographic lineup, according to documents.
Documents state Letizia was stopped by officers for expired weight tax on her 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser. Officers noticed a butterfly knife on the passenger-side floor and a set of brass knuckles in the pocket of the open driver-side door.
A search of the car reportedly turned up 0.6 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for crystal methamphetamine and paraphernalia. Letizia admitted the meth was hers, documents state.
Letizia was in custody Wednesday when she made her initial court appearance. Her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Austin Hsu, requested his client be granted supervised release.
“I did speak to Ms. Letizia. She did say she would be checking into treatment, in particular (Big Island Substance Abuse Council),” Hsu said. “… Ms. Letizia does not have much of a history in court.”
Letizia has no prior felony convictions, according to state and federal databases.
Deputy Public Defender Glenn Shiigi argued Letizia’s bail should be maintained.
“The alleged victim in this case is a vulnerable victim, an 81-year-old male, legally blind, on oxygen, living by himself,” Shiigi said. “This charge is accomplice to robbery in the first degree, burglary in the first degree, theft in the first degree of a firearm. When she was arrested, she had in her possession brass knuckles, which is a dangerous weapon, and a butterfly knife.”
Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas confirmed Letizia’s bail and ordered her to return for a preliminary hearing today at 2 p.m.
No other arrests have been made in the home invasion, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
