A 24-year-old man received a life term with parole and his uncle a maximum 20-year sentence Tuesday for the 2008 robbery in Manoa of a taxicab driver who was slashed in the neck.
Circuit Judge Colette Garibaldi imposed the mandatory prison terms for John M. Walton and his uncle Courage Lee Elkshoulder, 36.
Both men declined to address the judge because their attorneys, Ed Harada and Richard Kawana, said they plan to appeal the convictions.
The judge also ordered the two men to pay more than $11,700 in restitution to cover expenses such as the victim’s medical bills.
The robbery was one of several high-profile attacks on cab drivers that left two dead and triggered concerns over the safety of the drivers.
According to the trial testimony, Walton and Elkshoulder got a ride from Makiki to Manoa in a cab driven by Minh Van Tran.
Tran suffered slash wounds to his right arm, left hand and his neck during the Manoa attack. He was hospitalized for several days and has resumed driving a cab.
A representative of the Tran family called the attack a "very unfortunate incident," but said Tran wants to move on with his life.
The representative said Tran used to have insurance as a taxi driver for injuries suffered from crimes, but the coverage was discontinued.
He said other taxi drivers would like to see that type of coverage resume.
Last year, taxi driver Charlys Ty Tang was fatally beaten in Waipahu after he gave a ride to two teenagers from Waikiki, police said. Michael Robles, one of the teenagers, was convicted by a state judge of manslaughter rather than murder.
His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 19.
The trial for the other teenager is pending.
Taxi driver Manh Nguyen was among three people shot and killed at Tantalus lookout in 2006. Nguyen had given Adam Mau-Goffredo a ride to the lookout.
Mau-Goffredo was charged with murdering the three, but he was declared unfit for trial and committed to the Hawaii State Hospital.
The Hawaii Paroling Authority will set the minimum terms Walton and Elkshoulder must serve before they can be released on parole.
