
Man breaks in through window and stabs ex-girlfriend in bed, HI officials say
Frank William Funes, 43, from Pahoa on the island of Hawaii, was ordered to serve 15 years behind bars in connection with the 2021 attack that left his ex with a collapsed lung, the County of Hawai'i Office of the Prosecuting Attorney said in a July 17 post on Facebook.
Funes originally faced a charge of attempted murder in the second degree, but he maintained that he wasn't trying to kill his ex, and a jury last year instead convicted him of second-degree assault, according to prosecutors and Funes' attorney, Keith Shigetomi.
Funes also was convicted of first-degree burglary, prosecutors said.
Shigetomi told McClatchy News in a July 18 phone call that a prison sentence was expected, noting that his client 'gave a full statement' upon his arrest and has accepted responsibility for his actions.
'We told the jury to find him guilty of the burglary and assault in the second degree,' Shigetomi said, adding that Funes 'was not trying to kill (his ex), that was never his intention, and the jury agreed with that.'
Funes is accused of breaking into the woman's home on July 8, 2021, and stabbing her in the chest, armpit, arm and back, according to prosecutors.
He came in through a window and attacked her in bed, police said in a news release at the time.
Their teen son was home, police said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Miami Herald
42 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
At least 10 children were sexually abused in Alabama bunker, cops say. 7 arrested
At least 10 children were trafficked for sex acts and held in an underground storm shelter in rural Alabama, a sheriff said. Seven people — including some of the children's parents and relatives — have been arrested on different charges, including sexual abuse, rape and child trafficking, Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade said during a July 23 news conference, broadcast by WVTM. 'I know God's forgiveness is boundless, but if there is a limit, we reached it,' Bibb told WSAZ. A monthslong investigation, beginning in February, led to the arrest of three men, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said in a July 19 Facebook post, McClatchy News reported. Four others were arrested after, the sheriff said during the news conference. McClatchy News is not identifying the suspects to protect the identity of the children. The investigation began after deputies were notified of potential child sexual abuse at a bunker in Brent, about a 50-mile drive southwest from Birmingham, the sheriff's office said. Some of the children — ranging from 3 to 15 years old — were abused by multiple people 'on a nightly basis,' Wade said, adding that each child is now in the custody of the Department of Human Resources. 'They are safe and being cared for and speaking with counselors,' Wade said. More arrests and victims are expected as the investigation continues, Wade said. Human trafficking in the US Human trafficking is a 'crime of exploitation,' according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Traffickers profit off their victims by forcing them to engage in sex acts or do labor. 'With an estimated 27.6 million victims worldwide at any given time, human traffickers prey on people of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities, exploiting them for their own profit,' officials said. Industries where trafficking victims are forced to work include hospitality, restaurants, agriculture, construction, landscaping, factories, home care, salons, massage parlors, retail, janitorial and many more, officials said. In the U.S., children in welfare or juvenile justice systems, such as foster care, are the most vulnerable to human trafficking, officials said. Children and teens experiencing homelessness, people seeking asylum, people who struggle with substance abuse, migrant laborers, people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community and victims of domestic violence are also more vulnerable to becoming victims of human trafficking 'Traffickers can be strangers, acquaintances, or even family members, and they prey on the vulnerable and on those seeking opportunities to build for themselves a brighter future,' officials said.


Miami Herald
44 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Man ‘caught mid-heist' tried to steal Picasso, Warhol pieces, AZ officials say
A man accused of trying to make off with seven pieces of art – including works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol – is heading to prison, Arizona prosecutors said. Harpreet Singh, 33, was sentenced to five years behind bars after pleading guilty to one felony count of theft, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said in a July 23 news release. He was also ordered to serve 3.5 years on supervised probation in connection with cutting his ankle monitor after he posted bond, prosecutors said. Julio Laboy, Singh's attorney, told McClatchy News in a July 24 phone call that it's been frustrating to see the case receive outsize attention, including through the news release. His client 'isn't a mastermind,' he said, but instead, 'this is the confluence of' addiction and mental health struggles. Laboy said Singh has accepted responsibility for his actions and is taking strides to make changes in his life. Singh was 'caught mid-heist' in January 2024, prosecutors said. An alarm was triggered at Scottsdale's American Fine Art Inc., and a responding employee discovered 'several pieces of art missing from the walls,' according to prosecutors. The employee 'also heard someone in an upstairs office and called the police,' prosecutors said. Officers saw a person on the roof and found art 'scattered around' up there, along with tools, a mask and gloves, prosecutors said. Singh's car was parked under an emergency ladder, and he was arrested after being found on a roof nearby, according to prosecutors. 'Among the seven artworks he tried to steal were three Picassos and two Warhols,' according to prosecutors. In the news release, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said 'art heists may seem glamorous in the movies, but in Maricopa County, they end with a prison sentence instead of a dramatic getaway.' She added that, thanks to police and prosecutors, 'the only art this thief will be looking at for the next few years will be whatever's etched on the walls of his cell.'


Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Girl knocked out with gummies, others missing in ‘chilling' smuggling case, feds say
A Texas woman was sentenced to prison after officials said she tried to smuggle a young girl into the United States across the Texas border. Vanessa Valadez, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport into the United States an undocumented alien, according to court records. She was sentenced to a year and a half in prison. The sentencing stems from what officials called a 'child smuggling ring,' according to a July 22 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. From August to September 2023, Valadez, along with multiple family members, brought young kids from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States illegally, officials said. Each smuggled child was under 5 years old, according to prosecutors. 'This smuggling case ranks among the most chilling we've ever seen — involving the systematic trade of transporting young children to unknown final destinations,' U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a September 2024 news release. On Sept. 19, 2023, a young girl was taken from a stash house that the smuggling ring operated out of, officials said. Co-conspirators smuggled the girl across the border to Laredo and delivered her to Valadez, prosecutors said. Co-conspirators then took the girl further into the country and took her to unknown people, officials said. Valadez's attorney, Silverio Martinez, told McClatchy News his client admitted to her involvement, but she had good intentions. 'Families would come over illegally and eventually ask for their children to be brought over, one by one,' Martinez said. 'That was her understanding.' Martinez said the children were not being brought into the country for sex trafficking or any other violent intentions. He said Valadez's family members were the ones smuggling the children so when kids were brought around her, she would sometimes feed and care for them, but he said the 'government overplayed her involvement.' Two days after the girl was dropped off with Valadez, members of the ring tried to transport another young girl over the border but were caught during a routine border inspection, prosecutors said. In their attempt to bring the girl into the US, the members sedated her with melatonin gummies and obtained a fake birth certificate, officials said. 'One text message uncovered in the investigation showed an image depicting an unconscious child and a caption, 'La noquiamos con unas gomitas,' translated in English as 'we knocked her out with some gummies,'' officials said. Investigators discovered several other attempts were made to bring at least four girls into the country, prosecutors said. Three of those girls are still unidentified, and officials don't know where they are, according to prosecutors. Martinez said Valadez was only involved in the one incident and she took responsibility for it in court, admitting to her role. He said she had no part in sedating any children with gummies or any other substances. Five other people in connection with the case previously pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to prison.