A 67-year-old grandmother in Hawaii will not be spending time in prison for the tragic death of her 9-year-old granddaughter, who weighed only 45 pounds when she died of starvation in 2016.
On Thursday, Hilo Circuit Court Judge Henry Nakamoto sentenced Henrietta Stone to 10 years of probation for her role in the death of young Shaelynn Lehano-Stone. Prosecutors had pushed for the harshest penalty—a 20-year prison sentence—but the judge chose probation instead, a decision that left many deeply frustrated.
“There aren’t words to describe my disappointment and frustration in the outcome of this case,” said Hawaii Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen. “Shaelynn and our community deserved much better. Her death was caused by the three people she should have been able to trust the most.”
Stone had originally been charged with second-degree murder but pleaded no contest to manslaughter in February 2024. The child’s parents, Kevin Lehano and Tiffany K. Stone, also pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received the same sentence—10 years of probation. However, at the time of Shaelynn’s death, it was her grandmother, Henrietta Stone, who was legally responsible for her care.
Many who knew Shaelynn and had witnessed her suffering called for a tougher sentence. Several of her teachers, as well as emergency responders who found her, wrote statements urging the court to send Stone to prison. A pre-sentence investigation also recommended the maximum sentence, but the judge did not follow that advice.
According to Hawaii law, manslaughter can result in either 20 years in prison or 10 years of probation with up to two years in jail. Prosecutors strongly argued that Stone should be locked up for the full 20 years, but the judge ultimately disagreed.
Stone was first arrested in 2016 and remained in jail for years. It wasn’t until July 2024 that she was released on a $100,000 bond.
Shaelynn’s death was reported on June 28, 2016, when police officers and firefighters responded to a call about an unconscious child at Stone’s home on Kino’ole Street in Hilo, Hawaii.
“First responders were confronted with what appeared to be a severely malnourished and unconscious young girl lying on the floor within the home,” police said. “She was transported to the Hilo Medical Center where she died a few hours later.”
Authorities later revealed disturbing details about Shaelynn’s final months. Her grandmother had pulled her out of Hilo Union Elementary School, claiming she would homeschool her. But instead of learning at home, Shaelynn was deprived of food. Investigators said Stone even installed alarms on the refrigerator door to stop her from eating. At the time of her death, Shaelynn weighed the same as she did when she was only four years old.
The medical examiner determined that she died from malnutrition, with complications from acute pneumonia and a severe kidney infection. She was 53 inches tall and weighed just 45 pounds when she passed away.
Despite the heartbreaking circumstances of her death, the court’s decision means that none of the three people responsible will serve time in prison.
