Hawaii man gets 95-year sentence for repeated sex assault

WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — A Hawaii man convicted of 146 charges for repeatedly forcing a girl into sexual acts during a five-year period was resentenced to prison terms totaling 95 years.

William Barrios was resentenced Thursday for crimes Judge Richard Bissen Jr. called “particularly disturbing, horrific, cruel, abusive and violent.”

In a trial that ended in November 2012, Barrios was found guilty of 72 counts of first-degree sexual assault, 72 counts of third-degree sexual assault and two counts of kidnapping of a girl from 2004 to 2009.

Barrios sexually assaulted her from the age of 8 until she was 13, Deputy Prosecutor Carson Tani said.

Tani asked for consecutive sentencing totaling 100 years for Barrios, grouping the charges by the sexual acts of which Barrios was found guilty.

In a Dec. 22 decision, the state Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. But it vacated the sentence “since the circuit court did not adequately explain its reasons for imposing multiple consecutive prison terms on Barrios, and since the court appeared to use Barrios’ refusal to accept guilt as an aggravating factor in imposing his sentence.”

Defense attorney Ben Lowenthal, who handled Barrios’ appeal, asked that Barrios be sentenced to concurrent terms for a total of 20 years. “To set up a sentence so that Mr. Barrios has absolutely no chance of being paroled is unfair,” Lowenthal said.