KAILUA-KONA — A 19-year-old Big Island man accused of holding a woman against her will and beating and raping her has pleaded guilty to the charges two days into his trial.
Samuel Latrik pleaded guilty to charges that included first-degree sexual assault, second-degree assault and kidnapping, West Hawaii Today reported Thursday.
He also pleaded no contest to terroristic threatening, robbery and another first-degree sexual assault charge.
Latrik and 18-year-old Tyron Sigrah attacked the woman at the Old Kona Airport Park in September 2016, authorities have said.
Latrik’s attorney, James Biven, told the court that he gone over the charges and plea agreement multiple times with his client. Latrik pleaded guilty or no contest when the judge read each charge in court.
The victim testified Wednesday, saying that a muscular man and a skinnier one approached her while she was stopped along Kuakini Highway.
“I didn’t know them, but they seemed friendly,” she said.
Police had identified Sigrah as the skinnier man and Latrik as the muscular one.
The teens had invited her to hang out, and they hopped a fence to a soccer field. They later starting rubbing her arms and would not stop despite her requests, she said. She tried leave.
“The muscular one got between me and the road and the skinnier one football tackled me to the ground,” the woman said.
Latrik held her down while Sigrah “started raping me,” she said. They took turns assaulting her.
“They shoved that towel over my face and were suffocating me,” she said. “I felt scared because he was cutting off all my air supply.”
Latrik and Sigrah fled after a stranger shouted at them, authorities have said.
Sigrah was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to multiple felony charges.
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Information from: West Hawaii Today, http://www.westhawaiitoday.com
