Peter Kema Sr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to manslaughter in connection with the death of his son.
The 46-year-old Kema was charged with second-degree murder for the 1997 killing of his then-6-year-old son, Peter Kema Jr., also known as “Peter Boy,” and was set to go on trial April 25.
Kema Sr. entered the plea to manslaughter before Hilo Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura. He also pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution.
A conviction for a manslaughter conviction carries a maximum 20-year prison term.
The state, as part of a deal, will recommend concurrent sentences if information leads to the recovery of the younger Kema’s body; and if the body is not recovered that he pass a polygraph examination.
Kema is in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center in lieu of $500,000 bail.
A Hilo grand jury indicted Kema and his 46-year-old wife, Jaylin Kema, on April 28, 2016, for the death of their son. The indictment alleged murder by omission, which means the boy’s death resulted from the couple’s failure to seek medical attention or to provide for his basic needs.
Peter Boy, who was abused almost from birth, went missing in 1997. His body has not been found. Kema Sr. told reporters in August1997 he left his son with an “Aunty Rose Makuakane” in Honolulu as a hanai, or informal Hawaiian adoption. Authorities didn’t believe Kema and couldn’t find evidence the woman existed or airline tickets to corroborate Kema’s account.
The boy’s disappearance was the subject of extensive statewide media coverage. His face was ubiquitous on bumper stickers in the late 1990s and early 2000s asking, “Where’s Peter Boy?”
count 2 – intent to hinder of apprehension prosecution
Count 1