KAILUA-KONA — A South Kona man convicted of killing his sister-in-law five years ago was denied parole.
KAILUA-KONA — A South Kona man convicted of killing his sister-in-law five years ago was denied parole.
The Hawaii Paroling Authority on Friday denied James Abernethy’s application for parole following a Dec. 16 hearing. The decision is the third time the paroling authority denied parole for Abernethy, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to manslaughter and assault. He tried unsuccessfully to gain parole in June 2015 and May of this year.
Toni Schwartz with the state Department of Public Safety, under which the paroling authority falls, did not provide any specific details about the denial, but said the authority recommended “he participate in and complete various programs while incarcerated.”
His next parole hearing is scheduled for November 2017, she said.
Abernethy remains incarcerated at Saguaro Correction Center in Arizona. Unless paroled, his scheduled release date is Aug. 6, 2028.
Abernethy was sentenced in June 2011 by then-3rd Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Strance to concurrent sentences of up to 20 years for manslaughter and five years for assault.
Abernethy and his wife, Linda Vickers, were separated but not divorced when Abernethy fatally stabbed his sister-in-law, Victoria Vickers, at their Kona Paradise home. The two were arguing when Abernethy got a knife and stabbed Victoria Vickers in the neck. He also stabbed Linda Vickers in the hand.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.