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HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT
Scott D. Vidinha
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ROSE BERNARDO / RBERNARDO@STARADVERTISER.COM
A 52-year-old Kunia man allegedly fired a gun multiple times Saturday into his neighbors’ home while several people, including three children, were inside.
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A Kunia man who shot up to 27 rounds from a military-style AR-15 carbine into a neighbor’s front door is not guilty of attempting to murder the family of four he knew was inside.
A state judge found Scott Vidinha not guilty of attempted first-degree murder Wednesday after listening to evidence in Vidinha’s non-jury trial.
Vidinha, 54, also had been charged with one count of attempted second-degree murder for each of the four family members. Circuit Judge Glenn Kim found him guilty instead of four counts of attempted assault, using a firearm to commit the attempted assaults, reckless endangering and carrying an unconcealed firearm without a license.
Vidinha faces 20 years in prison at his sentencing in December for each of the four counts of using a firearm to commit attempted assault and up to 10 years for each of the attempted assaults. He faces up to 10 years for the other firearm count and up to five years for reckless endangering.
He’s been in custody since his arrest in October 2016 in lieu of $1 million bail. His lawyer William Harrison said Vidinha could have asked Kim to reduce his bail pending sentencing but prefers to remain in custody to earn credit toward his sentence.
Vidinha lived on the second- floor of a townhouse apartment in Kunia’s Village Park, two doors away from the one he shot up. He suffers from a long-standing mental illness for which he had been taking medication. A few months before the shooting Vidinha stopped taking his medication because he lost his job and his medical insurance and started drinking heavily.
Kim said the state failed to present any evidence of Vidinha’s motive or that there was an intent to kill any of the family hiding in a bathtub during the shooting.