HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A year after a young woman is shot in the head, she and her family are still waiting for justice and they are not alone.
June 17, 2023 was a night that changed Richianna DeGuzman's life forever. The 17-year-old was shot in the head near Maili Community Park around 11 p.m. and her chances of survival were slim.
"The doctors said even if she would continue to live the only two options was either going to be comatose or one vegetable for the rest of her life," her mother Susan Mahiai explained in an interview in late February.
Richianna proved them all wrong. Her family shared her journey to recovery with KHON2 every step of the way. From simple gestures to holding and drinking from a cup on her own, even talking and singing.
She was discharged from rehab and allowed to go home in March, but despite all her progress, her life will never be the same.
Richianna's family declined an interview.
In a statement, her boyfriend Shaceton Scanlan said:
"We aren’t in the right state of mind right now and we are just so hurt and so traumatized that we have to take this year without anyone taking responsibility. We would like to take this time as a family and just hold each other together. Thank you for trying to keep up with us but right now won’t be the time. My mother-in-law is very hurt. I’m very hurt and we just don’t think this will be the right thing to do."
Mahiai had expressed frustration months ago after she said prosecutors told her they were shot down twice by two different judges trying to bring charges against a possible suspect.
And they are still waiting for justice.
"This person is still out there on the streets," Mahiai said in an interview on February 23. "We not safe. We all not safe. There's a shooter out there."
Unfortunately, they are not alone.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, 61% of violent crimes in Honolulu went unsolved in 2022, that's just 1% under the national average.
Former Attorney General Doug Chin said prosecutors always want to bring justice for the victims of any crime, and certainly the victims of an attempted murder or murder.
"A criminal case is held to the very, very highest standard, which is beyond a reasonable doubt," Chin explained. " And if you can't prove that, then the suspect that you have would walk free, even if you knew in your heart of hearts that that person really did it. You have to have the evidence that is able to convict someone of a crime."
Until that day comes, Richianna and her ohana are patiently waiting for justice.
