Convicted murderer Hailey Dandurand will not receive a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
After deliberating for more than eight hours Thursday and Friday, an Oahu Circuit Court jury decided against extended sentencing for Dandurand, who was convicted Tuesday of murder, kidnapping and burglary in the 2017 North Shore slaying of Telma Boinville and kidnapping of her young daughter.
The jury’s decision means that Judge Rowena Somerville will not have the opportunity to impose life imprisonment without the possibility of parole when she sentences the 26-year-old Nov. 15.
Both Dandurand and ex-boyfriend Stephen Brown, in separate trials, were convicted of the same crimes connected to the brutal Dec. 7, 2017, murder and kidnapping of Boinville, a part-time house cleaner, and kidnapping of her then-8-year-old daughter at a Pupukea vacation rental.
On Tuesday the jury found Dandurand guilty of second-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, second-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, burglary and unauthorized possession of personal confidential information for having Boinville’s debit card, which she confessed to using.
The state sought extended terms in both Dandurand’s and Brown’s murder cases based on their convictions on multiple felony crimes.
The jury in Brown’s trial gave Somerville the option of life without the possibility of parole. His sentencing is set for Aug. 30.
Friday’s extended- sentencing determination followed an emotional hearing Thursday morning in which Dandurand’s mother and grandmother tearfully pleaded with the jury to give their loved one a chance at earning bail and eventually having a life outside of prison.
Both women described Dandurand as caring, selfless, compassionate and empathetic, a lover of animals and advocate for the environment. They said Dandurand came to Hawaii at age 19 as a full-time college student, working two jobs and excited about life and her future.
All that was derailed when she met Brown, they said.
Mother Sunshine Dandurand said her daughter was trapped in an abusive relationship that she felt she couldn’t get out of.
Grandmother Laree Purdy, a Hawaii resident since 1970, told the jury that her granddaughter’s life and attitude changed drastically during a four-month relationship with Brown.
“Our family always thought he would kill her,” Purdy said, referring to Brown. “We were praying nonstop she would stay alive. And when I heard the news that someone was killed (on the North Shore), I thought it was Hailey.
“I thought he killed her, I really did,” she added. “But then my daughter called me several hours later telling me the nightmare.
“As gruesome and as terrible as it is, I’m sure she’s gonna be trying hard to overcome what happened that day with remorse and pity for the family.”
Dandurand’s attorney, Barry Sooalo, told the jury that the prosecution was trying to portray his client as “absolutely evil” and “the devil.” But he urged the jury to give her a chance at rehabilitation and at living “an ordinary life like the rest of us.”
After Friday’s court session, Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell said he respects the jury’s decision on extended sentencing.
“They weighed the evidence carefully, and in their discretion they decided an extended term of life without the possibility of parole wasn’t necessary,” Bell said.
As for the guilty verdict, he said, “We always maintained that was the right decision.”
