Manslaughter Charge Filed Against Kea'au Man for Infant's Death

A 20-year-old Kea‘au man stands charged with manslaughter in the death of his 3-month-old son on Hawai‘i Island.

Joshua Kaleolani Agbayani Soto Paiva appeared in court on Thursday, November 12, after being arrested at the Hilo Police Station, Hawaii News Now reported. His bail was maintained at one million dollars following a denied request for supervised release.

Puna patrol officers originally responded to a home off 3rd Avenue in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision on October 25 at 11:50 a.m. following a report of an unresponsive male infant, according to Hawaii News Now. Hawai‘i Fire Department paramedics transported the baby, identified as John-Charles Saiki-Paiva, to the Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where medical staff pronounced him dead at 1:06 p.m.

Kea‘au man charged in death of 3-month-old son — Island News

An autopsy performed on October 30 at the same medical facility revealed preliminary results indicating the infant died from head injuries, leading authorities to suspect foul play. Detectives subsequently arrested Paiva without incident on Wednesday, November 11.

Newly released court documents detail that Paiva initially told police he was playing an online multiplayer video game called “Overwatch” when the baby would not stop crying. He claimed that while preparing a bottle, he heard the infant coughing and gagging with milk coming out before the child went completely quiet.

Police documents indicate Paiva later admitted he lied after officers informed him of the severity of the baby’s injuries. He then said that he aggressively rocked the baby bouncer for about 15 minutes with enough force that the infant’s head and body flailed against the frame.

According to the documents, Paiva admitted to grabbing the boy’s right leg, yanking him off the bouncer, and placing him on an ottoman where he applied his own 220-pound body weight until the child stopped crying.

“A case like this is really difficult with, you know, especially our investigators as well, everybody involved, you know, the personnel that responded to the scene, the medical staff that worked on the infant,” said Lt. Derek Morimoto of the Hawai‘i Police Department. “So a lot of people are affected by a case like this.”

Father, 20, charged with manslaughter in Hawai‘i Island infant death — KHON2 News

Paiva is scheduled to appear back in court on Monday. The investigation continues.

Police urge anyone with information regarding the case to contact Detective Jayce Carvalho at (808) 961-2378 or via email at [email protected], or Detective Amy Omaya at (808) 961-2385 or via email at [email protected].