Kentucky Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Strangulation in Domestic Violence Case
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A western Kentucky man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to strangulation and assault charges, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday.
Hunter Diel, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree strangulation, a Class D felony; fourth-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor; and being a persistent felony offender. The charges stem from an incident in April 2025, according to court documents filed in McCracken County Circuit Court.
Authorities said Diel slapped the victim across the face and strangled her by applying pressure to her throat with his hands.
In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered Diel to have no contact with the victim and to complete substance abuse treatment and undergo a mental health assessment upon his release.
“This is a man with a violent criminal past, and we are grateful for our Western Kentucky partners who helped secure justice for the victim and put him back behind bars,” Coleman said.
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Second Man Charged in Hawaii Murder Tied to Methamphetamine Trafficking
HONOLULU — A second man has been charged in connection with a 2021 fatal shooting that prosecutors allege stemmed from the victim’s failure to pay for methamphetamine, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Taliau Tauvela-Afalava, 31, of Aiea, Hawaii, made his initial court appearance Monday after a superseding indictment added him as a co-defendant in the case. He joins Filimone Tavake, 38, of San Francisco, who was indicted in March 2024 and arrested the following day.
According to court documents, on March 27, 2021, Tauvela-Afalava and Tavake allegedly killed the victim, shooting him multiple times as he stood outside his home. The killing occurred in connection with a drug distribution conspiracy, prosecutors said.
Investigators obtained video surveillance footage showing a vehicle with no license plates driving near the victim’s home shortly before the shooting. The vehicle parked, and video captured two males walking toward the street where the victim resided. Minutes later, gunshots were heard on the surveillance video, and the same two males were seen running from the direction of the victim’s residence toward the vehicle.
Law enforcement identified and located the vehicle seen in the video. An analysis connected the vehicle’s infotainment system to phone numbers linked to both Tavake and Tauvela-Afalava, according to court documents.
Tauvela-Afalava is charged with carrying, using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; causing death through use of a firearm; killing while engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
If convicted, Tauvela-Afalava faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.