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Today, Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen announced that a Mountain View man, 27 year-old Dwayne Cory Wallace, Jr., was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for Murder in the Second Degree and ten (10) years in prison for Ownership Prohibited of a Firearm. By law, Wallace will not be eligible for parole until serving a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years. Judge Peter Kubota also ordered Wallace to serve a five (5) years prison term for revocation of his felony probation, where he was previously convicted of Felony Abuse of a Family or Household Member.
Wallace’s sentance stems from an incident on August 25 just before 1:00 p.m., when Puna patrol officers responded to a call on N. Kulani Road in Mountain View for a report of a male who had just been shot and was lying in the roadway. Police located the victim who was transported to Hilo Medical Center by HFD rescue personnel and was later pronounced dead. Wallace was immediately identified as a suspect.
The victim was positively identified as 26-year-old Peter C. Grammar, of Mountain View. An autopsy performed on August 26 determined that Grammar died from a gunshot wound to the chest. The manner of death was ruled homicide.
At 2:30 p.m. on August 28 following up on tips from members of the community, Wallace was located at a property on Auli’i Street in the Orchidland Subdivision in Puna. Upon officers arriving on the property, Wallace fled his vehicle and ran into the forest. After a short search, Wallace emerged from the forest and surrendered to police. At the time of arrest, Wallace was in possession of a loaded shotgun. No one was injured.
The lead investigator was Detective Blaine Morishita, Area I Criminal Investigation Section, Hawai‘i Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Rothfus.
“Peter Grammer would have been 27 years old today. The same age as the Defendant. With the pull of a trigger, Dwayne Wallace ended Peter’s life. He robbed Peter’s mother of her son, in broad daylight, right before her eyes, and leaving her with terrifying memories of her only son’s last moments,” said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Rothfus, who prosecuted the case, and argued for the imposition of the life prison term.
“The State prays that today’s sentencing affords the family and friends of Peter Grammer some closure and hopefully a little sense that justice was served and that Peter will never be forgotten,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen. “Hawai‘i County law enforcement will continue its ongoing efforts to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions with the goal of deterring future crime and making our community a safer place.”
The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney remains dedicated to the pursuit of justice with integrity and commitment. Anyone having information to assist local law enforcement should call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 in East Hawai‘i or (808) 329-8181 in West Hawai‘i.