A 44-year-old Hilo man was sentenced today in Hilo Circuit Court to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the Oct. 31, 2020 murder of Noelle Buffet, also of Hilo, at the Val Hala Apartment Complex in Hilo.

Davi Alvarez pleaded no contest on Oct. 19 to the second-degree murder charge for stabbing Buffet in the chest, puncturing the right ventricle of the heart and lacerating the left lung.

Police said they were acquaintances.

“This was for Noelle and her ohana,” Hawaii County Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen said in a written statement. “Although we know that it will not fill the immense void of their loss, we hope that this sentencing offers them some sense of closure.

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that Hawaii County law enforcement is committed to working hard to hold violent offenders accountable to protect our community.”