Jaylin Kema, the mother of Peter Kema Jr., also known as “Peter Boy,” was re-sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of probation after she violated her probation on a manslaughter charge earlier this year.
Jaylin Kema, the mother of Peter Kema Jr., also known as “Peter Boy,” was re-sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of probation after she violated her probation on a manslaughter charge earlier this year.
Kema was sentenced in June to 10 years probation and one year in jail — which she had already served — for her involvement in the 1997 death of her 6-year-old son, Peter Boy.
However, she appeared in court Tuesday for a hearing to determine whether her probation would be revoked after a string of probation violations following her June sentencing.
According to court records, Kema tested positive for marijuana in July and admitted to having used the controlled substance twice since her sentencing. Additionally, Kema was once late for a meeting with her probation officer and once missed a meeting altogether, and also reportedly changed her phone number without informing authorities.
A Hilo grand jury indicted Kema and her husband, Peter Kema Sr., in April 2016 for the death of Peter Boy, the abused Big Island boy whose disappearance 20 years ago sparked a statewide media firestorm. Jaylin Kema pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December 2016. Kema Sr. pleaded guilty to manslaughter and first-degree hindering prosecution in April of this year as part of a deal with prosecutors. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in July.
Peter Boy’s body was never found, but the Kemas admitted the child died of septic shock after they failed to provide sufficient medical treatment for an injury on his arm.
Kema Sr.’s plea deal called for him to show authorities where he left Peter Boy’s body, and if no remains were found, to pass a polygraph test. Kema took police and prosecutors to a remote area of Puna coastline near MacKenzie State Recreation Area, where he said he set the boy’s body adrift in a cardboard box after an unsuccessful attempt to incinerate the remains.
On Tuesday, Jaylin Kema’s court-appointed attorney, Brian De Lima, said she acknowledged her use of marijuana and noted that she had not used marijuana since her sentencing. De Lima said Kema used marijuana to treat a medical condition on the advice of a doctor, but does not currently have a medical marijuana certificate.
District Judge Henry Nakamoto sentenced Kema to the same terms as her June sentence, with two exceptions: first, that she be referred to HOPE Probation, and second, that her jail term be reduced to six months and stayed pending her probation.
As a HOPE Probation participant Kema also will be subjected to frequent and random drug tests while on probation. Nakamoto advised her that, should she obtain a medical marijuana certificate, she is still not permitted to use marijuana without court approval.
Kema will next appear in court for a probation hearing Nov. 17.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com