Illinois: Prosecutor Tries To Block Killer's Hawaii Move

Kaneshiro Says State Missed Required Steps

Daryl Huff KITV 4 News Reporter
POSTED: 5:01 pm HST November 9, 2010
UPDATED: 8:29 pm HST November 9, 2010
HONOLULU -- Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro said he is trying to prevent the transfer of a convicted killer from Illinois to parole in Hawaii. Kaneshiro wrote a letter to the parole director and governor challenging the transfer.
The idea of Justin Boulay, 33, going directly from a Midwestern prison to a tropical paradise upset the family of the woman he strangled in 1998.
Kaneshiro said the transfer request doesn’t include important elements, including a supervision plan and evidence Bouley has complied with requirements of supervision.
Except for a brief period on bail and house arrest before his conviction, Bouley has not been under any supervision except for in jail and prison.
He was convicted of first-degree murder in 1999 for strangling his ex-girlfriend, Andrea Will.
Illinois corrections officials said under the old Illinois sentencing law, Boulay's release to supervision was automatic after he served 12 years of a 24-year sentence. The release was not reviewed by a traditional parole board, and only one condition was set for his release.
“What we believe that he absolutely must engage in is anger management,” said Sharyn Elman, chief information officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Elman said Hawaii can add its own conditions, which, combined with the requirement that he live with his wife, make for an adequate supervision plan as required.
Hawaii parole officials said they couldn't refuse the transfer because Boulay’s wife, an assistant professor at the John A. Burns School of Medicine, is willing to support him.
“Hawaii agreed to it. We agreed to it and he has met the requirements,” Elman said.
But in his letter to the parole director and governor, Kaneshiro questions whether all requirements for a mandatory transfer were met. He said he hasn't seen the required supervision plan and said Boulay should have to spend some time on parole in Illinois to show he would comply with the rules here.
“So we know what is the history of this offender before he steps foot in Hawaii,” Kaneshiro said. “I think it should be a process of years.”
Kaneshiro said parolees can fake their way through months of supervision, covering up violent tendencies until parole officers relax their rules.
Kaneshiro is also concerned that Boulay killed a university coed, and his wife is employed by the university.
“I am concerned about the safety of the students at the University of Hawaii, but overall I am concerned about the safety of the citizens that we have a convicted murderer coming here and we need to know what plan of supervision there is,” Kaneshiro said.
Hawaii Paroling Authority Executive Director Max Otani said he had not had time to review Kaneshiro’s letter Tuesday.
KITV attempted to reach Boulay's wife by phone and e-mail Monday and Tuesday. She has not responded.