Question: Was the Kaimuki High School graduate who was accused of killing a fellow Kaimuki alumnus in Los Angeles in May 2012 ever prosecuted?

Answer: Richard Gilla Herrera, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder by a Los Angeles Municipal Court jury on Dec. 10, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.

He was sentenced on Jan. 29 to 25 years to life in a California prison.

Last month he was sent to the 4,800-bed North Kern State Prison, a medium-security facility in Delano, Calif., for evaluation.

Herrera was charged with stabbing Bobby Khamvongsa, 27, to death on May 19, 2012, in the 300 block of North Orlando Avenue in Beverly Grove, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Police responded to a call regarding a traffic accident at about 1:30 a.m. and found Khamvongsa lying in the street with stab wounds, according to an Los Angeles Police Department release.

Paramedics were called and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Coroner’s records show he suffered stab wounds to the chest and back.

During the investigation, detectives learned Khamvongsa got into an argument with a man, which apparently led to the stabbing. City News Service in Los Angeles said the victim was wearing women’s clothes at the time of the stabbing.

Khamvongsa had moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Kaimuki High School to pursue a career as a freelance makeup artist. As a makeup artist, he had styled celebrities for television productions in Hawaii and Los Angeles.

Relatives said Herrera was a former Kaimuki High School president and was two years older than Khamvongsa.

This update was written by Gregg K. Kakesako. Suggest a topic for "Whatever Happened To …" by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu, 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.