Starved Hawaii girl’s parents plead not guilty to murder

HILO, Hawaii – The mother and father of a Hawaii girl who police say starved to death are pleading not guilty to murder.

Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth says Kevin Lehano (leh-hah-noh) and Tiffany Stone entered the pleas Monday. Arraignment is postponed to Tuesday for Henrietta Stone, the 9-year-old girl’s grandmother who had legal custody.

According to an indictment, the three are accused of denying the girl food, water and medical treatment for about a year before she died in June 2016.

Police say a 911 call reported that the girl was unresponsive. Officers and firefighters responding to the Hilo (hee-low) home found the severely malnourished and unconscious girl lying on the floor. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.