Ammon Stanley sentenced to 25 years for shooting a man, burning his body in his car in Puna in 2022

Ammon Stanley, 39 of Keaʻau, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for manslaughter, assault and arson in a case that occurred outside of an Orchidland Estates residence in April 2022, Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen announced Tuesday.

Puna patrol officers located a burned Hyundai Elantra about 100 yards in the bushes off of Government Beach Road on April 23, 2022. Inside were human remains later identified as Haku Waipa, according to police reports.

The police investigation concluded that Stanley shot Waipa and Starla Vegas with a bang stick, a pipe firearm capable of firing a shotgun shell, while they were in the car. Vegas was able to escape, but two bird shot pellets were later recovered from her scalp.

Waipa was shot dead. Stanley drove the victim’s car, with his body inside, from the Orchidland Estates subdivision about 6 miles to the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision, where the car was set on fire in a remote part of the Big Island, Lt. Rio Amon-Wilkins said at the time.

On Aug. 1, Stanley appeared in Hilo Circuit Court where he entered “No Contest” pleas  to charges of manslaughter, a class A felony carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He also entered no contest pleases for second degree assault and third degree arson, both class C felonies with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

On Nov. 12, Stanley appeared in Hilo Circuit Court for his sentencing hearing. Prosecutors argued for the maximum penalty, a 30-year prison term with sentences running consecutively.

After listening to arguments, the Court sentenced Stanley to 25 years, including a 20-year prison term for manslaughter and five-year prison terms for both the felony assault and arson offenses. The Court ordered that the five-year prison term for the arson offense to be served concurrently to the periods of incarceration for the manslaughter and assault offenses.