Shooting suspect wheeled into court, documents allege longterm abuse

A 35-year-old woman shot and critically injured Thursday in an upper Kaiwiki Road home told police her bedridden husband shot her at close range while sitting at the edge of his bed, according to court documents.

Miya P. Napoleon, also known as Miya Sagucio, said she was walking from the kitchen and living room area to go down a hallway when her 41-year-old husband, Corey K. Napoleon, said something to her. When she turned to face him, he was pointing a black revolver at her from a distance of 2-4 feet away, documents state. Miya Napoleon told police Corey Napoleon fired two rounds from the handgun at her, with one round just missing her head and the other striking her in the right lower back area.

Documents state Miya Napoleon said she took about four steps down the hallway before her legs went numb and she collapsed to the floor.

Their minor son told officers after the shots were fired that he wrestled the gun away from his father and the gun went off during the struggle, according to documents.

Officers recovered a .38-caliber revolver about 10 feet away from Napoleon’s bed, police wrote.

Corey Napoleon’s caregiver, a 43-year-old woman, said she heard a gunshot as she arrived at the residence, documents state. The woman said she heard another shot as she arrived at the front door. She told officers she ran into the living room, saw Miya Napoleon lying on the floor and heard three more gunshots.

A minor daughter of the couple told police she was running into the house when the shots were fired, according to documents.

Documents state the caretaker and a brother of Corey Napoleon’s, who had received a call from his nephew, called 911 to report the shooting.

Police said when they arrived, Corey Napoleon was “sitting on a bed with his hands out in front of him,” while Miya Napoleon was in the hallway, lying “on her side with an apparent gun shot would to her lower back.”

As he was being detained by officers, Corey Napoleon made what police described as “spontaneous statements that he was only protecting himself,” documents state.

Corey Napoleon is charged with attempted second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony and three counts of first-degree reckless endangering. He was wheeled in and out of Hilo District Court on a gurney Monday afternoon for his initial appearance because of his weight and medical condition.

Judge Harry Freitas denied a defense request for supervised release without bail or a bail reduction for Corey Napoleon and maintained his bail at $330,000.

The judge ordered Napoleon — who faces a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole if convicted on the attempted murder charge — to return at 2 p.m. April 29 for a preliminary hearing.

Miya Napoleon was taken by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center in critical condition Thursday. Her condition has improved to serious but stable, police said.

Both Napoleons filed petitions for temporary restraining orders against each other in late 2018, with Corey Napoleon filing twice, according to court records.

Corey Napoleon’s first petition, filed Nov. 27, was dismissed without prejudice Dec. 11 by Hilo Family Court Judge Darien Ching Nagata because he failed to show up for the hearing. Miya Napoleon was present.

He filed a second petition Dec. 14, while Miya Napoleon filed her petition on behalf of herself and the couple’s three minor children on Dec. 18.

Both appeared before Nagata on Jan. 22. According to court minutes, Nagata dismissed both petitions without prejudice after both parties stated they didn’t want to go forward with their cases. The judge told both parties they were free to refile their petitions.

Both of Corey Napoleon’s petitions stated he is unable to walk. He alleged his wife attacked him and slapped him the face and tried to rip out his breathing tube while yelling she was going to kill him. He wrote his wife had access to “30-plus firearms,” including “assault rifles, long range rifles, shotguns and multiple pistols.”

A Hawaii Police Department form issued Nov. 27 after Corey Napoleon filed his first TRO petition states 37 firearms are registered to Miya Napoleon.

A receipt dated Nov. 28 indicates police recovered for safekeeping from Miya Napoleon a Glock 23 .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol. It’s unclear if any other firearms were recovered.

In Miya Napoleon’s petition, she wrote she was with Corey Napoleon for two decades.

“For the first 10 years there was many instances of physical abuse and mental abuse from him,” she wrote. “I’ve had black eyes and bruises … from Corey assaulting me on numerous occasions. He has choked, pushed, shoved, slapped and punch(ed) me many times through those years. … He has poured gas on me once when I was pregnant … and even punched my face while driving.”

Miya Napoleon wrote she “gave him an ultimatum to stop the abuse in 2007-08 after having a miscarriage after he beat me up.”

She wrote the physical abuse stopped, at least for awhile, but the psychological and verbal abuse became worse.

“He’d tell me ‘you leave and I’ll kill you and your whole family.’ ‘You leave me and I’ll kill myself.’ Corey does have scars on his arms (and) chest from self inflicted harm,” Miya Napoleon wrote.

She claimed her husband “posted nonsense about me on social media” and “even catfished me using fake accounts.”

Miya Napoleon also alleged her husband physically abused their son and psychologically manipulated their daughters.

According to her petition, on Dec. 14 Corey Napoleon threatened to shoot their son and told one of their daughters, “If you don’t stay with me I’m going to put a TRO on (Miya Napoleon) and she’s going to get arrested.”

A Hawaii Police Department form issued Dec. 18 after Miya Napoleon filed her TRO petition states three firearms are registered to Corey Napoleon.

A receipt form for recovery of firearms indicates Corey Napoleon told police his firearms were stolen in a burglary.

Court records indicate Miya Napoleon still faces a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge for alleged physical abuse of Corey Napoleon on Nov. 24. The complaint doesn’t detail the alleged abuse.

She still has a July 1 trial date in Hilo Family Court before Judge Henry Nakamoto.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.