A 23-year-old Makaha man accused of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a former friend pleaded guilty Tuesday to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Chad Duran’s attorney, Richard Hoke, said victim Christopher Medeiros was a bystander when a gun discharged during a scuffle between Duran and a third person at Medeiros’ Makaha apartment on Sept. 12.
Duran struck a plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office and faces 20 years’ imprisonment for manslaughter instead of life in prison with the possibility of parole, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder. He also pleaded guilty to using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Both are Class A felonies.
The state dropped two other weapons charges, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said. Duran is scheduled for sentencing June 25 by Judge Randal Lee.
A week before the shooting, Duran was beaten by a group of men, which included Medeiros, for rummaging through their belongings at their Lanai Street apartment, Hoke said.
Duran went to Medeiros’ apartment the night of Sept. 12 to apologize to Medeiros’ roommates because Medeiros believed Duran had been looking through their belongings, Hoke said. Duran apologized, he and Medeiros hugged and the matter was smoothed over, Hoke said.
A third person began arguing with Duran, who displayed a gun, and the weapon discharged during "a grappling for the gun," Hoke said.
Duran pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2010 and was granted a deferred acceptance of his guilty plea, which would have allowed him to remain free and keep his convictions off his record if he had stayed out of trouble. Instead, he was jailed multiple times for probation violation. He was supposed to have completed a 15-day intermittent sentence (weekends only) shortly after the shooting.
Medeiros had a history of violent crimes, including robbery and assault.
