86-year-old woman changes plea in Lilliha arson case

An 86-year-old widow facing eviction who was charged in March with first-degree arson for setting a fire in her rented Liliha home on Feb. 28 changed her plea this morning to guilty to the reduced charge of second-degree arson.

Beverly Shimabukuro, a longtime waitress at Pagoda Restaurant and retired, accepted a settlement offered to her by Deputy Prosecutor Hon-Lum Cheung-Cheng and initiated by her attorney Christian Enright.

Judge Ronald Johnson agreed to be bound by the terms of the agreement when sentencing her on December 4 and imposed a four-year suspended sentence.

The case was initially dismissed after Enright requested an examination of his client's competency to stand trial and she was transferred to the Hawaii State Hospital after being incarcerated at the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

Johnson found Shimabukuro fit to stand trial today after a medical panel unanimously found that she was now fit to stand trial but had initially suffered from a temporary mental disorder.

The judge also ordered her to be released into the custody of her brother, who will accompany her and her niece to Tacoma, Washington, where she will live with her sister.

Enright has also filed a motion to postpone her guilty plea. If she complies with the terms of the postponement, the conviction could be expunged from her record.

Cheung-Cheng amended the charge from Arson 1 to Arson 2, a Class B felony. The court will also consider the issue of restitution at sentencing.

Johnson told Shimabukuro that if she violated the terms of her probation, she could face a 10-year prison sentence or a $25,000 fine, and the court could also order her to pay compensation for any damages she suffered.