Ezequiel Zayas, the 30-year-old man who secretly lived in a military family’s home in 2019 and plotted to perform surgery on them, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in Circuit Court to first-degree burglary in that case and also pleaded guilty in three other cases.
Ezequiel Zayas, the 30-year-old man who secretly lived in a military family’s home in 2019 and plotted to perform surgery on them, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in Circuit Court to first-degree burglary in that case and also pleaded guilty in three other cases.
While Zayas’ most serious crime was killing fellow inmate Vance Grace, 62, in the Oahu Community Correctional Center while awaiting trial in the burglary case, Zayas had gained notoriety with national media attention about hiding in the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam home of James and Brittany Campbell in 2019.
He surprised the couple and their two children on their return from a weeklong vacation Sept. 20, 2019, when Zayas opened the front door and refused to let them in. James Campbell grabbed a sledgehammer and managed to get Zayas out.
Zayas also used the family’s laptop to keep detailed information about them, made videos of the family and planned to do surgery on them, said the Campbells, who realized he had been in the house much longer than a week.
On Wednesday morning, Zayas’ hands were uncuffed in order to sign plea agreements in four cases with the Department of the Attorney General and the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office.
The second-degree murder case in the Grace death was initially charged as first-degree murder, which would have meant life without the possibility of parole if convicted. That charge was downgraded to manslaughter for recklessly causing his death.
According to police, correctional officers witnessed Zayas punching Grace’s head multiple times and stomping on his head.
However, the plea deal means he will face a maximum 20 years’ imprisonment instead of life imprisonment for second-degree murder.
He also pleaded guilty to :—First-degree burglary for entering the dwelling of another with the intent to commit a crime (in the Campbell case ), and faces a maximum 10 years’ imprisonment and a $25, 000 fine.—Second-degree burglary, with a maximum five years in prison and a $10, 000 fine for an Oct. 9, 2019, burglary at the Buddhist Study Center on University Avenue.—Second-degree assault for a June 12, 2020, attack of an employee at a mental health facility, and faces a maximum five years’
imprisonment.
He also is responsible for any restitution as determined by the court or the Adult Client Services Branch.
Zayas was returned Wednesday to the Hawaii State Hospital, where he had been held since Feb. 4, 2020, after being found unfit to stand trial.
Court-appointed defense attorney Nelson Goo said after Wednesday’s trial call and change of plea hearing that Zayas had been receiving mental health treatment and has been making good progress. He was found fit to stand trial Jan. 17 and could have gone forward with trial in the four cases.
However, Judge Rowena Somerville found after questioning Zayas that he made the decision to plead guilty of his own volition and understood he was waiving his right to a trial, where he could have possibly been acquitted by reason of insanity at the time of the crimes.
Court documents show Zayas told a pretrial officer he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but had stopped taking his medications and began using cannabis.
On Wednesday, Zayas, wearing a gray fleece jacket over a red shirt and gray fleece pants, stood before the judge with his hands behind his back, his right thumb nervously picking his finger.
He only asked Somerville when he would be sentenced, and whether she could move the date up sooner.
The judge set it for Aug. 30, and said that was the earliest possible date since there was a lot to do before sentencing.
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