HONOLULU (KHON2) — It’s been nearly three years since 16-year-old Sara Yara was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing the street in front of McKinley High School.
The man accused, Mitchel Miyashiro, was expected to plead guilty but opted to take the case to trial instead.
Miyashiro pleaded not guilty in December 2023 to four charges: first-degree negligent homicide and accident involving death, both felony charges, and accident involving bodily injury and driving without a valid license, which are misdemeanors.
According to court documents, he was expected to change his plea to guilty on all counts back in September 2025, but that hearing was canceled due to the defense not receiving medical records in time.
On Monday, the family, carrying Sara’s ashes, was expecting to hear Miyashiro change his plea to guilty, but instead, he decided to take the case to trial.
“Generally speaking, when a case is set for change of plea, we generally go through with the change of plea,” explained legal expert and attorney Megan Kau, who has no affiliation with the Miyashiro case. “There might have been some extenuating circumstances that I’m not aware of that led the defense to believe that they have a stronger defense at which point they’ve decided to ask for a trial instead of entering a guilty plea.”
Chevylyn Saniatan Borce, Sara’s mother, started crying when leaving the courtroom. “We could have just moved on, but now we have to drag on.”
“I was hoping that my daughter wouldn’t have to go through this. She’s already witnessed her twin sister pass away before her eyes, and then to go through trial because he doesn’t want to take responsibility for his actions is even harder,” Saniatan Borce said.
She said she will seek justice for her daughter.
“My daughter was 16 years old, she had a lot of life to live,” she added. “To accept a plea agreement as turning my back on Sara.”
The judge set a trial date for April 6, which is two weeks ahead of what would have been Sara’s 20th birthday.