HONOLULU (KHON2) — A Circuit Court jury has decided the verdict for the suspect involved in a 2022 Pearl City murder and arson case.
On Friday, jurors found 34-year-old Scott D. DeAngelo guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Arson in the First Degree after he killed 33-year-old Demond Cox and set his apartment on fire.
The incident occurred on Feb. 7, 2022 when HFD firefighters responded to a building fire in Pearl City and reported one person dead in the apartment.
According to a witness, DeAngelo and Cox were heard arguing from the fourth-floor apartment. Reports said the two were arguing because Cox asked DeAngelo to move out of his apartment.
During last week’s trial, government witnesses testified against DeAngelo. One witness said he heard the arguing from a nearby unit.
“I thought I heard some fireworks going off in the unit. I saw the screen door was closed, but the regular door was kind of open, and saw a little fire in the living room,” said government witness Eugene Cambra.
Other witnesses said they saw DeAngelo jumping out of the apartment window as the fire burned.
The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney said witnesses also saw “DeAngelo put a gun to his own head, told them to “get away,” before fleeing in Cox’s SUV.
DeAngelo was arrested the following day in Hauula “with a gun, ammunition, a lighter, and Cox’s credit card in his possession.”
“Honolulu police and firefighters did a good job investigating and apprehending the suspect. We must also thank the eyewitnesses who testified at trial because without them this would have been an impossible case to prove,” Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said.
Reports said DeAngelo is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18.
