Kailon Tyndzikʻs shared a reel of himself and his sister Laycie “Love” Williams on a joyful hiking adventure on Kauaʻi along with a short message to go with his Jan. 7, 2025, Instagram post. It said: “We donʻt count miles, we make memories.”
But a month later, Tyndzik’s life would be cut short, after he was struck by a vehicle driven by 55-year-old Salvin Hilario while skateboarding along Nāwiliwili Road in Liʻhūe. Tyndizik was transported to the Wilcox Medical Center and later airlifted to the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, where he died eight days later from his injuries. He was 30.
During Hilarioʻs sentencing hearing on Thursday, Williams shared memories of her brother, describing him as an accomplished waterman, lifeguard, surfer, fisherman, and as a man who routinely helped others.
Hilario pleaded guilty in June to second-degree negligent homicide and felony driving without a license.
In Kauaʻiʻs Fifth Circuit Court, Hilario was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for the death of Kailon Tyndzik, despite an emotional plea from the victimʻs family for a harsher punishment.
Hilario stood in front of Judge Michael K. Soong in a brown jumpsuit. His sentences for the two felony convictions will run concurrently, meaning Hilario will serve a five-year term, with credit for time already served.
Hilario was represented by court-appointed attorney Melinda Mendes.
Before sentencing, Kailon’s father, Vaughan E. Tyndzik, was the first to testify before Soong. The situation suddenly turned tense, prompting the court to take a recess after Vaughan E. Tyndzik asked Hilario to look him in the face, and Hilario laughed.
Vaughan E. Tyndzik then yelled, approached Hilario, threatened him, and stared him down while Hilario was escorted out of court.
“He cared about people.” Vaughan E. Tyndzik said. “Became a lifeguard. He was so good in the water, so confident.”
His father described Tyndzik’s first lifeguard rescue, involving a 9-month-old baby who had stopped breathing, and his last rescue, in which Tyndzik went into the water to save three girls despite being sick for days.
“He did it anyway, because that’s who he is,” Vaughan E. Tyndzik said.
Hilario’s court records reveal an extensive criminal traffic record dating to 1993 and encompassing approximately 33 arrests, ranging from traffic infractions to serious traffic offenses.
Police said he had no permanent address at the time of his arrest.
Vaughan E. Tyndzik then addressed Hilario directly, saying his family continues to think about Tyndzik every night.
“I hope God has the grace to accept you in his heart,” Tyndzik’s father told Hilario.
Vaughan E. Tyndzik told Kauaʻi Now, outside of court, that the judgeʻs 5-year decision was a “disgrace.”
“That man ran over my kid, he said. “The guy’s got a history as long as my arm and never will become anything and doesn’t want to become anything, not even a better person from this.
“He laughed when I asked him to look at me in the face. He has no respect. The judge mentioned he got no respect from day one, but he gets five years on a plea bargain. To me, it’s a disgrace.”
Williams also addressed the court and said the family and community had strongly opposed the plea agreement.
She said she had worked in prevention and recidivism programs for 19 years and argued that Hilario posed a continuing danger to the community.
“He will not change. He will reoffend. This man will hurt again,” Williams said.
“I’d like to reinforce to the defendant that my brother did not sacrifice his life for nothing. He sacrificed his life so that his victims have a voice. And he will face them. They’re already healing every day he spends in jail.”
She also questioned why Hilario was receiving a 5-year sentence given his criminal and traffic history.
Williams read several statements from Tyndzik’s friends and family members.
One of the statements asked the court to impose the maximum penalty allowed by law and described Tyndzik as a loyal friend who was always willing to help others.
Adding that Tyndzik had recently turned 30 and had decades of life ahead of him.
The family also criticized the plea agreement and questioned whether the prosecution had fully considered Hilario’s prior record and the circumstances of the crash.
At his June plea hearing, prosecutors said the agreement was an appropriate resolution despite the family’s objections, arguing that Tyndzik was riding his skateboard in the traffic lane and that Hilario’s headlights were not illuminated when he turned onto the roadway and thatTyndzik was wearing dark clothing, which reduced Hilario’s visibility.
The Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gennady Bronshteyn corrected one point raised by the family, saying that evidence indicated Hilario did stop after the collision but then left the scene without rendering aid or reporting the crash to police.
“He did stop, and then he left,” Bronshteyn said.
The state also said there was no toxicology evidence establishing whether Hilario was impaired at the time of the collision because he was not apprehended until the following day.
Mendes acknowledged that Hilario should not have been driving but said the circumstances did not justify sentencing him for conduct beyond the offenses to which he pleaded guilty.
Before imposing sentence, Soong said one of the most significant factors in his decision was what he characterized as Hilario’s lack of remorse.
“You showed absolutely no remorse during this whole process,” Soong said.
The judge questioned Hilario’s claim, reflected in the pre-sentence investigation, that he did not know whether he had struck Tyndzik.
“How do you possibly not know you’ve run over another human?” Soong said.
The judge noted that Hilario also had 85 prior traffic violations, including driving without a license.
Hilario was also ordered to pay $1,670.16 in restitution to Tyndzik’s father and $64,555.80 to the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services’ Med-QUEST division for medical expenses, for a total of $66,225.96.
Tyndzikʻs nephew, Makoa Ladera, expressed difficulty moving forward and accepting that he wonʻt get a chance to talk to his uncle again.
“Last night, I cried a lot because, just like that, my uncle is gone,” said Ladera.
“I wanted to get to know more about him; you know, he brought life to people, he brought joy, and Iʻm just struggling with reconciling the fact that I won’t get to know him or anything anymore.”
The family added that their ongoing healing process involves reading the messages and comments about the good deeds Tyndzik performed, which they were previously unaware of.
“We’ll start actually reading the comments that we need to get to,” said Williams. “Read about all the stuff that he did and didn’t tell anybody about. He just did it”
