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A Maui man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of another man in Kanaio in 2018. In January, a jury found Justin Namauu, 48, guilty in the death of Dennis Pacheco, who was 45 at the time of the incident.
John Joseph Smith, 58, of Makawao, entered a not guilty plea in Second Circuit Court Wednesday. The charges stem from an ongoing police investigation into the discovery by hunters on July 5, 2023, of a body wrapped in plastic in a remote area of Kula.
An unattended death investigation in which a body was found wrapped in plastic off Keanuhea Street in Kula on July 5, 2023, has been reclassified as a second degree murder investigation by Maui Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division.