HONOLULU — A judge sentenced a man Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the murder of his ex-girlfriend who disappeared while pregnant with his child in Hawaii.
A jury previously convicted 27-year-old Steven Capobianco of second-degree murder in the death of Carly "Charli" Scott. She was five months pregnant when she disappeared in 2014.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Rivera told jurors during the trial that multiple stab wounds in the abdomen area of Scott's skirt showed that Capobianco made her suffer.
During sentencing, Second Circuit Chief Judge Joseph Cardoza said Capobianco lured Scott to her death. Cardoza called him self-centered for killing her and his own son because he didn't want to be a father.
"That is so tragic and senseless," the judge said.
Family and friends of Scott demanded to know the location of her body.
"Where is she? Where are they?" spectators shouted from the gallery as Capobianco was led out of the courtroom.
The Hawaii Paroling Authority will determine how many years Capobianco must serve before being eligible for parole. Scott's family will have an opportunity to speak at those proceedings.
Capobianco told Hawaii News Now that he saw Scott, 27, on the night her family says she vanished but he had nothing to do with her disappearance. He said Scott picked him up and drove him to his pickup truck after it broke down.
He said he fixed his truck and Scott was driving behind him, but he lost sight of her and figured she arrived safely at her destination.
Capobianco, who is three years younger than Scott, met her in 2009. They lived together for two years, but "the defendant would tell his friends that they were just roommates and he did not like to take pictures with her," Rivera told jurors in his opening statement.
They broke up, but Scott continued to love him, "even though she knew he didn't care about her," Rivera said.
When they were no longer a couple, Capobianco had another girlfriend and Scott got pregnant. She decided to continue with the pregnancy even though Capobianco insisted on an abortion, Rivera said.
Capobianco was starting to come around to the idea of having a child, his defense attorney, Jon Apo told jurors.
Apo said detectives, Scott's family and even Capobianco's friends presumed him guilty without considering other suspects.
Some of her blood-stained clothing and her jawbone were found after her disappearance, ending any hope she might still be alive.
Capobianco didn't testify during his trial.
