Circuit Judge Shanlyn Park expressed sympathy Tuesday not just for the 45-year-old murder victim and his family, but for the 25-year-old Wahiawa man she was sending to prison for life with the possibility of parole in the Nov. 19, 2019, fatal stabbing of a family friend. “I am very sorry for the family of Isaac Lee and all the pain and suffering that Mr.
Lee” experienced before he died, she said, adding she hoped the sentencing provided a sense of closure. “I understand he had a loving family, and he had challenges he was attempting to overcome.” Then in a rare moment of sympathy for the man convicted of murder, the judge said, “When I look at Mr.
Dela Cruz and all that I learned about him, he too is an individual who is struggling for many, many reasons.” She said, after looking at his past, his life, his upbringing, “it’s incredibly tragic. He didn’t have any real parental guidance and struggled with mental health and substance abuse.
“I hope during his period of incarceration he’s able to address these issues, and I hope that the family, through this process, can move forward in life, because there’s no bringing Mr. Lee back.” On April 5 a Circuit Court jury rendered a guilty verdict of second-degree murder.
Dela Cruz was 21 years old at the time of the stabbing of Lee, a father of three. Lee was a good friend of Dela Cruz’s mother, who always helped her out, said Deputy Prosecutor Kelsi Guerra. The two men were both smoking methamphetamine befo.